CAUTION:  “The [thin] outer bark [which is an eighth of an inch thick [2]] is toxic.” [1]  The leaves and stems are toxic to poultry and are a fish poison, and the plant is insecticidal. Etnobotanist Daniel Austin described the taste of the leaf as "burning like crazy." IFAS writes, “Despite its common name, the plant is not recommended.” CONSERVATION STATUS: This is a state-listed endangered species and should never be harvested from the wild.   

INNER BARK AS A SPICE:  CAUTION:  “The [thin] outer bark [which is an eighth of an inch thick [2]] is toxic.” [1]  IFAS writes, “Despite its common name, the plant is not recommended.” 
- CARIBS:  “Olaf Swartz wrote in 1791: “This bark, together with the fruit of Capsicum, were formerly common ingredients in the food and drink of the Caraibs [Caribs].” [Grime, 1976, via 4]. 
- 1500s: "Dr. Diego Álvarez Chanca accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage, after which he wrote of a cinnamon (canela in Spanish) which was unlike any of the species of cinnamon used in Europe. He had probably reported the use of C. winterana." [7]
- 1600s: “The species had been known to Europeans since at least 1623, when it was called Cinnamomum s[ive] canella peruana [Peruvian Cinnamon] by Gaspar Bauhin. 
- 1700s: “In the 1700s, the inner bark was exported from the West Indies to Europe as a substitute for cinnamon.” [1] 
- 1800s:  “Williams [1837, 1962] wrote, “The bark is strongly aromatic, and flavored much like Laurus cinnamon [sic], but is more pungent.” [4] 
LEAVES AS A SPICE [DO NOT INGEST - SEE CAUTION] :  Daniel Austin, in his book Florida Ethnobotany, writes “fresh leaves are fiery, and they have been used to season foods throughout its range.  Indeed, In Cuba, they have the common name Pica-Pica [“it bites,” referring to the stinging taste].”  Daniel took “an ample bite from a tip” of a leaf and described his lips and tongue as “burning like crazy.” [4]  The leaves are also used to season foods in the Virgin Islands. [4]  They may also be described as having a peppery-cinnamon flavor.
FRUITS AS A SPICE:  The berries are used to season foods in Puerto Rico. [4]  “Supposedly, the berries are hot like black pepper when gathered green and dried.” [4]  

MEDICINAL BARK: 
- BRAZIL:   “A decoction of the bitter bark is used as a febrifuge and gargle to relieve sore throat in Brazil.” [4] 
- CUBA:  “It is also a febrifuge in Cuba where it is called Malambo [Taino or Africa?].” [4]  “Similar uses include the infusion as a tonic [Puerto Rico], to relieve indigestion and fever in new mothers [Cuba], and to treat “female weakness” in the Bahamas [Roig, 1945], Morton, 1981].  Not only is the remedy for new mothers, but in Cuba it has been used as an abortifacient [Roig, 1945].” [4] 
- VIRGIN ISLANDS: “The bark, mixed with lime leaves and ginger, helps stimulate appetite after illness in the Virgin Islands [Peterson, 1974].” [4] 
- JAMAICA: “Rum, containing the bark, is drunk for stomach pain in Jamaica [Morton, 1981].” [4] 
- EXPORTED TO EUROPE: “The bark formerly was exported to Europe and the United States for pharmaceutical use.” [4] 
MEDICINAL WOOD:  “The decoction of the wood is applied to the head or chipped wood is smoked in a pipe in the Bahamas.” [4]  

MEDICINAL LEAVES:  “A leaf decoction is used to alleviate headache.” [4]  

EXTERNAL MEDICINAL USES:  BARK:  “The bark is macerated in alcohol or rum and rubbed on rheumatic and other pains in Cuba and Jamaica [Roig, 1945].” [4]  LEAVES:  “Leaf decoctions are also used in bath for rheumatism in the Bahamas, or the leaves and bark combined with other “bush” [medicinal plant] and made into a bush bath in the Virgin Islands [Peterson, 1974, Morton, 1981].” [4]  

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS:  “Bark yields 0.75 to 1.25 percent volatile oil containing 1-a-pineal, cineole, caryophyllene, -8 percent, and 8 percent manitol.  There is also drimane sesquiterpene present [Kioy, 1989].” [4] 
COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION: "Commercial production of “white cinnamon” from C. winterana has ceased, but small-scale, local production continues." [7]
IN GENERAL: "Canellaceae also have alkaloids of the aporphine type, such as N-(cinnamoil)-tryptamine, lignans of thearyl-tetralin type, cinnamaldehydes, and allylphenols. Crystals of calcium oxalate are in the leaf mesophyll." [7]
AROMATHERAPY: I would think that the fresh leaves may be used in aromatherapy after proper research is done. 

USEFUL WOOD:  Though much too rare to ever harvest, the wood “is very heavy and exceedingly hard, strong, and close-grained.” [2]  “It is dark red-brown and the thick sapwood” is “light brown or yellow in color.” [2]  

POULTRY AND FISH POISON:  “Both leaves and stems are toxic to poultry.  Those same poisons make it useful as a fish poison called Barbasco [Marbasco] [American variant of Verasco, general common name for Pterocaulon and Verbascum, but also used for several fish poison plants, Puerto Rico]. “ [4]  

INSECTICIDAL:  “There are potent chemicals in the plant and they have been shown to have insecticidal activity [Udino, 1994.]” [4]  

WILDLIFE:  Ripe fruits are “eaten by many birds.” [2]  A “nectar plant for Schaus’ Swallowtail and other butterflies.” [1]  It “provides food and cover for wildlife.” [1]  

—NATIVE TO:  “Monroe, Miami-Dade and Collier counties; West Indies [Barbados, etc.], Mexico and the Bay Islands of Honduras.  Very rare on the mainland along the extreme southern coast to about Everglades City.” [1] In the Caribbean, Daniel Austin lists it as being native to “the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Lesser Antilles from St. Martin and Barbuda to St. Lucia and Barbados.” [4]  It is “not uncommon on the Florida Keys.” [2] 
HABITAT: “A relatively common sub-canopy tree in coastal hammocks in the Florida Keys and the shores of Florida Bay.” [1]  “It generally grows under the shade of larger trees in dense forests composed of Sideroxylon, Lysiloma, Swietenia, Bursera, Hypelate, Dipholis, and Nectandra. [3]   
LEGAL STATUS:  Here in Florida, it is a state-listed endangered species.  

—DESCRIPTION:  “The white bark, the brilliant deep green foliage, and crimson fruit make the Canella one of the most ornamental of the smaller south Florida trees.” [2]  “Usually taller than broad.” [1]  “Small [evergreen] tree or large shrub.” [1] 
- HEIGHT:  “Typically [growing slowly to] 15-20 feet in height; to 29 feet in South Florida.” [1]  “On the mountains of Jamaica, it is said to grow sometimes to the height of 50 feet.” [2] 
- CROWN:  Broadly rounded. [1] 
- TRUNK:  Single.  “To 10 inches in diameter, but usually much smaller.” [1] 
- BARK: “Light gray [whitish], broken into short, thick scales.” [1] 
- LEAVES:  “Dark green above, shiny, 2-5 inches long, aromatic when crushed.” [1]  “Obovate, round, or slightly emarginate at the apex, and contracted into a short, stout, grooved petiole. They are 3.5-5” long and lustrous. [2] 
- FLOWERS:  Green and purple buds open to small flowers that have red petals and red anthers.  All year, peak spring–summer. [1]  The autumn is usually the peak. [2]  IFAS lists the flowering from May-September. 
- FRUIT:  Fruits are “bright crimson, soft, and fleshy.” [2]  They ripen “in March and April.” [2] 
NOTES:  A monotypic [monospecific] genus, containing just this one species.  

CULTURE: 
- HARDINESS:  USDA zones 9B-12B [down to 26F]. [5] 
- LIGHT:  Full sun to light shade. [1] 
- SOIL: “Moist, well-drained limestone or calcareous sandy soils, with humusy top layer.” [1] 
- WATER:  Moderately drought tolerant. [1] 
- NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:  “Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.” [1] 
- PROPAGATION:  From seed.  “Rarely cuttings.” [5].  “Volunteer seedlings establish themselves beneath the parent tree.” [5] 
- NOTES:  Does best in the warmer, coastal areas of Florida.  Makes a lovely accent shrub.