Mespilodaphne quixos is a species of evergreen tree in the family Lauraceae, native to Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. It is one of the South American trees with a cinnamon-like aroma and is used as a spice called ispinku in Southern Quechua or ishpinku in Kichwa (Hispanicized spellings ishpingo, eshpingo).
It is native to lowland and foothill rainforests in the western Amazon Basin below 1000 meters elevation.
Growth
Ispinku seeds have a diameter of almost 1 inch and grow in soil which is mildly acidic. It grows at an annual rate of roughly 6 inches for the first three years of its life.
After flowering starts, the flowers are produced once every two years.
