Christy Iverson, age 12, of Lake Charles, La., for her question:

WHERE DO WE GET CINNAMON?

Cinnamon is a spice that is made from the inner bark of branches of the cinnamon laurel tree, which grows in such tropical places as the Malagasy Republic, Sri Lanka and southwestern India. The cinnamon tree can grow to be 30 feet tall.

Cinnamon trees grown commercially for their bark are usually kept small, or dwarfed. This is done by cutting the tree close to the lower buds. The bark of the lower branches is peeled for use as cinnamon.

In Sri Lanka, the bark is usually peeled in April and November.

As the bark dries, it curls up and turns light brown. The bark is divided according to quality by people who taste samples. Then it is placed into 90 pound bundles for sale.

An oil is also prepared from the leaves, fruit and the root of the cinnamon treee.

The cinnamon tree has oval leaves and tiny pale yellow flowers. The fruit of the tree is shaped like an acorn.

The oil of the cassia plant is often used in place of the cinnamon oil. Cassia bark also sometimes replaces cinnamon bark.