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Cedrus libani
Also called Cedar of Lebanon, Cyprus Cedar
Lebanon cedar is a large, long-lived evergreen conifer that can reach 40 m tall, widely planted as an ornamental tree in parks and large gardens. It needs full sun, well-drained soil and cold winters, and is not suited to small spaces or indoor growing.
Cedrus libani, commonly known as cedar of Lebanon, Lebanon cedar, or Lebanese cedar (Arabic: أرز لبناني, romanized: ʾarz lubnāniyy), is a species of large conifer in the pine family, Pinaceae, and is native to the mountains of the Eastern Mediterranean basin. Known for its longevity, height, and durable wood, it has held profound significance for millennia. The tree features in ancient Mesopotamian literature. It is the national emblem of Lebanon and is widely used as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens. Historically, the ancient Phoenicians used Cedar wood for shipbuilding and traded Cedar trees with Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Anatolians, Iberians, Punics, Sicilians, Romans and Ancient Iraq.
Cedrus libani can reach 40 m (130 ft) in height, with a massive monopodial columnar trunk up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in diameter.
Cultivation of Lebanon cedar dates back at least 3,200 years, when the Hittite Empire established two populations of the species in northern Turkey where it did not occur naturally.
The Lebanon cedar is now widely planted as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens.
C. libani var. libani is endemic to elevated mountains around the Eastern Mediterranean in Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey. The tree grows in well-drained calcareous lithosols on rocky, north- and west-facing slopes and ridges and thrives in rich loam or a sandy clay in full sun. Its natural habitat is characterised by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters with an annual precipitation of 1,000 to 1,500 mm (39 to 59 in); the trees are blanketed by a heavy snow cover at the higher elevations. In Lebanon and Turkey, it occurs most abundantly at elevations of 1,300 to 3,000 m (4,300 to 9,800 ft), where it forms pure forests or mixed forests with Cilician fir (Abies cilicica), European black pine (Pinus nigra), Turkish pine (Pinus brutia), and several juniper species. In Turkey, it can occur as low as 500 m (1,600 ft).
Cedar wood is prized for its fine grain, attractive yellow colour, and fragrance. It is exceptionally durable and immune to insect ravages. Wood from C. libani has a density of 560 kg/m3; it is used for furniture, construction, and handicrafts. In Turkey, shelterwood cutting and clearcutting techniques are used to harvest timber and promote uniform forest regeneration. Cedar resin (cedria) and cedar essential oil (cedrum) are prized extracts from the timber and cones of the cedar tree.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cedrus libani by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
