CASSIA BARK is the aromatic bark derived from various species of Cinnamomum other than C. zeylαnicum, which is the source of the true cinnamon of commerce. The greater part of the supply coming from China, it is sometimes termed Chinese cinnamon. The tree or trees which yield the Chinese supplies are very extensively cultivated throughout the southern provinces of that empire, and grow with little call for attention in situations unsuited for other forms of cultivation. From various species of Cinnamomum, cassia is also obtained in Northern India and Nepal, in Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippine Islands. The bark is imported into England in bundles, which are from 1 foot to 18 inches in length, and weigh about 1 lb. The bundles consist of quills of bark from half an inch to an inch in diameter, generally single, rarely double. The bark is much thicker than that of true cinnamon; the taste is more pungent and the flavour less delicate, though somewhat similar to that of cinnamon. A large quantity of thick, woody bark, of inferior quality, is now imported under the name Cassia vera, or Wild Cassia. The properties of cassia bark depend on the presence of a volatile oil—the oil of cassia, which is imported in a pretty pure state as an article of commerce ∕rom Canton. Cassia bark is in much more extensive demand on the Continent of Europe than in Great Britain, being preferred to cinnamon by Southern nations. Both oil and bark are useful in medicine; but their chief use is for flavouring liqueurs and chocolate, and in cooking generally. When ground as a spice it is difficult to distinguish cassia from cinnamon, and it is a common practice to substitute the cheap common spice for the more valuable article. The adulteration may be detected by the behaviour of a ...