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 A cedar in a French garden | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
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| Cedrus deodara Cedrus libani |
Cedar, in a strict botanical sense, refers to those trees belonging to the genus Cedrus in the coniferous plant family Pinaceae although the name is commonly used for other plants as well (see below). They are most closely related to the Firs (Abies), sharing a very similar cone structure. They are native to the mountains of the western Himalaya and the Mediterranean region, occurring at altitudes of 1,500–3200 m in the Himalaya and 1,000–2,200 m in the Mediterranean.
They are trees up to 40–50 m (occasionally 60 m) tall with spicy-resinous scented wood, thick ridged or square-cracked bark, and broad, level branches. The shoots are dimorphic, with long shoots, which form the framework of the branches, and short shoots, which carry most of the leaves. The leaves are evergreen and needle-like, 8–60 mm long, arranged singly in an open spiral phyllotaxis on long shoots, and in dense spiral clusters on short shoots; they vary from bright grass-green to dark green to strongly glaucous pale blue-green, depending on the thickness of the white wax layer which protects the leaves from desiccation. The cones are barrel-shaped, 6–12 cm long, and, as in Abies, disintegrate at maturity to release the winged seeds. The seeds are 10–15 mm long, with a 20–30 mm wing; as in Abies, the seeds have 2–3 resin blisters, containing an unpleasant-tasting resin, thought to be a defence against squirrel predation. Cone maturation takes one year, with pollination in September-October and the seeds maturing the same time a year later. Cedars are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Pine Processionary and Turnip Moth (recorded on Deodar Cedar).
There are five taxa of Cedrus, assigned according to taxonomic opinion to two to four different species:
- Deodar Cedar Cedrus deodara. Western Himalaya. Leaves bright green to pale glaucous green, 25–60 mm; cones with slightly ridged scales.
- Lebanon Cedar or Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani. Mountains of the Mediterranean region, from Turkey and Lebanon west to Morocco. Leaves dark green to glaucous blue-green, 8–25 mm; cones with smooth scales; four varieties, which are treated as species by many authors:
- Lebanon Cedar Cedrus libani var. libani Mountains of Lebanon, western Syria and south-central Turkey. Leaves dark green to glaucous blue-green, 10–25 mm.
- Turkish Cedar Cedrus libani var. stenocoma Mountains of southwest Turkey. Leaves glaucous blue-green, 8–25 mm.
- Cyprus Cedar Cedrus libani var. brevifolia or Cedrus brevifolia. Mountains of Cyprus. Leaves glaucous blue-green, 8–20 mm.
- Atlas Cedar Cedrus libani var. atlantica or Cedrus atlantica. Atlas mountains in Morocco & Algeria. Leaves dark green to glaucous blue-green, 10–25 mm.
Etymology
Both the Latin word cedrus and the generic name Cedrus are derived from the Greek 'kedros'. Ancient Greek and Latin used the same word, kedros and cedrus respectively, for different species of plants now classified in the genera Cedrus and Juniperus (juniper). As species of Juniperus are native to the area where Greek language and culture originated but species of Cedrus are not, and the word "kedros" does not seem to be derived from any of the languages of the Middle East, the word probably originally applied to Greek species of juniper and was later adopted for species now classified in the genus Cedrus because of the similarity of their aromatic woods (Meiggs 1982). The name "cedar" has been widely applied to many other trees with scented wood, including the genera Calocedrus ("incense-cedars"), Chamaecyparis and Thuja ("whitecedar", "Western Redcedar"), Cryptomeria (Japanese cedar"), and Juniperus ("Eastern Redcedar", "Mountain-cedar") in the family Cupressaceae; Cedrela ("Spanish-cedar") and Toona ("Australian Redcedar") in the family Meliaceae; and Tamarix ("Saltcedar") in the family Tamaricaceae.
Uses
Cedars are very popular ornamental trees, widely used in horticulture in temperate climates where winter temperatures do not fall below about -25° C (the Turkish Cedar is slightly hardier, to -30° C or just below). They are also grown for their durable (decay-resistant) scented wood, most famously used in the construction of King Solomon's temple in Jerusalem provided by King Hiram, or Ahiram, of Tyre, Lebanon, circa 1,000 BC. The wood is also used for humbler purposes requiring resistance to weather, such as shakes and shingles. Cedar wood and cedar oil is known to be a natural repellent to moths [1], hence hope chests were made of cedar when available. Cedar is a popular lining for modern-day closets in which woolens are stored. The use of cedar is mentioned in The Iliad, Book 24, referring to the cedar-roofed or lined storage chamber where Priam goes to fetch the treasures used to ransom the corpse of his son Hector from Achilles. Extensive reforestation of cedar is carried out in the Mediterranean region, particularly Turkey, where over 50 million young cedars are being planted annually.
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References and external links
- Arboretum de Villardebelle - cone photos (scroll to bottom of page)
- Arboretum de Villardebelle - Turkey some photos of Cedrus libani var. stenocoma in the wild
- 1911 Britannica "Cedar"
- Christou K. A., (1991). The genetic and taxonomic status of Cyprus Cedar, Cendrus brevifolia (Hook.) Henry. Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Greece.
- Gymnosperm Database - Cedrus
- Greuter, W., Burdet, H. M., & Long, G. (eds.), (1984). Med-Checklist – A critical inventory of vascular plants of the circum-mediterranean countries.
- The maturation and dispersal of cedar cones and seeds. International Dendrology Society Yearbook 1993: 43-46 (1994).
- Güner, A., Özhatay, N., Ekim, T., & Başer, K. H. C. (ed.). 2000. Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands 11 (Supplement 2): 5-6. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0-7486-1409-5
- Meiggs, R. 1982. Trees and Timber in the Ancient Mediterranean World.
- Meikle, R. D., (1977). Flora of Cyprus (Vol. One). Bentham - Moxon Trust, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. London.