Camphorwood

Camphorwood is a large evergreen tree with leaves that smell of camphor when crushed. It is native to the Far East (China, Taiwan, Japan,Korea and Vietnam) but has been introduced across the globe.

Camphor crystallised from the essential oils present in the wood and leaves, has been used for centuries as a component of incense and as a medicine. It also has insect repellant and flea killing properties. For this reason many storage chests for clothes and other items were made out of camphorwood in the hope of protecting their contents from moths and other insects.