| Cedrus libani | |
|---|---|
 Lebanon Cedar in Barouk, Lebanon | |
| Conservation status | |
 Vulnerable (iucn2.3) | |
| Taxonomy | |
| Kingdom | |
| Phylum/Division |
Pinophyta |
| Class |
Pinopsida |
| Order |
Pinales |
| Family |
Pinaceae |
| Genus |
Cedrus |
| Species |
C. libani |
| Naming and discovery | |
| Botanist |
A.Rich. |
Cedrus libani (Lebanon Cedar, Cedar of Lebanon) is a species of cedar. It is native to mountains of the Mediterranean region in Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey.
Description[]
C. libani foliage
The Cedar of Lebanon is an evergreen coniferous growing up to 130 ft (40 m) tall with a trunk up to 8 1/6 in (2.5 m) in diameter. The bark is colored red-brown. The crown is conic when the tree is young, but with age becomes broadly tabular with fairly level branches.
There are long shoots and short shoots, making this species dimorphic. The leaves are needle-like and spaced out on the long shoots, and in clusters of 15-45 on the shorter shoots. They are ¼ to 1 3⁄16 in (5-30 mm) in length, are quadrangular in cross-section, and are colored green to glaucous blue-green with stomatal bands on all four of its sides. The seed cones are usually produced every second year, and mature in 12 months after pollination. Mature cones in late autumn are 3 to 4 ¾ in (8-12 cm) long and 1 ½ to 2 ⅜ in (4-6 cm) wide.
Taxonomy[]
Cedrus libani was first classified by Achille Richard. There are two subspecies:
- Cedrus libani libani (Lebanon Cedar): Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey
- Cedrus libani stenocoma (Turkish Cedar): Turkey
Some botanists also consider Cedrus brevifolia (Cyprus Cedar) and Cedrus atlantica (Atlas Cedar) as subspecies of C. libani; however, most modern sources consider them as distinct species.
Ecology[]
C. libani in Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve, Barouk
In Lebanon and Turkey, it is most common at altitudes of 3,300-6,500 ft (1,000-2,000 m) where it forms forests with Abies cilicica (Cilician Fir), Pinus nigra (European Black Pine), and several Juniperus (juniper) species. On Cyprus, it occurs at 3,300-5,000 ft (1,000-1,525 m), reaching the summit of Mt. Paphos. In Morocco, it occurs at 4,500-7,200 ft (1,370-2,200 m) in pure forests, or forests mixed with Abies species and Juniperus thurifera.
History, symbolism, and uses[]
Small Lebanon Cedar in a barrel pot in Noda Chiba, Japan
Lebanon Cedar cone showing flecks of resin
The Cedar of Lebanon was important to several ancient civilizations around its native range. The Phoenicians used the wood of C. libani to construct military ships, houses, palaces, and temples. Ancient Egyptians used its resin during the process of mummification, and its sawdust has been found in tombs of ancient Pharaohs. The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh says that the cedar groves of Lebanon is the dwelling of the gods to which Gilgamesh ventured. Moses ordered Hebrew priests to use the bark of the Cedar of Lebanon in circumcision and the treatment of leprosy. Hebrew prophet, Isaiah used the Lebanon Cedar in a metaphor for the pride of the world. According to the Talmud, Jewish people once burned the wood of the Lebanon cedar on the Mount of Olives to celebrate the new year. Foreign rulers, both near and far would order the wood for religious and civil buildings, including King Solomon's Temple and David and Solomon's Palaces. Because of its significance, the word "cedar" is referenced several times in the Bible, and played an important role in the Phoenician-Hebrew relationship. It was also used by the Romans, Greeks, Persians, Assyrians, and Babylonians. During the late Ottoman period, cedar wood was used in building railways. In World War II, the wood was cut and used by the British.
Over the centuries, extensive deforestation of the Lebanon Cedar has occured, with only small remnants of the original forests surviving. Deforestation has been particulary severe in Lebanon and Cyprus. On Cyprus, only small trees reaching up to 82 ft (25 m) tall survive, though Pliny the Elder had recorded cedars 130 ft (40 m) tall there. Extensive reforestration is being carried out in the Mediterranean region, particularly Turkey, where 50 million young cedars are planted annually. The populations in Lebanon are also expanding through a combination of replanting and protection of natural regeneration by browsing from goats, hunting, forest fires, and woodworms.
Historically, there were some attempts to conserve Lebanon Cedars. The first was made by Emperor Hadrian, who issued a decree protecting parts of the Lebanon Cedar in CE 118. During the Middle Ages, the Mamluk Caliphs also made an attempt to conserve the cedars and regulate their use. This was followed by the Maronite Patriarch, Yusuf Hbaych, who had placed them under his protection in 1832. During 1876, Queen Victoria of Britain financed a wall to protect the Cedars of God from goat herding.
National and regional significance[]
The flag of Lebanon, with the Cedar of Lebanon in the center
The Lebanon Cedar is the national emblem of Lebanon, and is therefor displayed on the Lebanese flag and Coat of Arms. It is also the logo of the Middle East Airlines, which is Lebanon's natural carrier. Beyond that, it is the main symbol of Lebanon's "Cedar Revolution", along with several Lebanese political parties, such as the Kataeb, the Lebanese Forces, the National Liberal Forces, and the Future Movement. Lebanon is sometimes referred to as "the Land of the Cedars".
As a result of long exploitation, few old trees still remain in Lebanon, but there is now an active program that will help conserve and regenerate the forests, which emphasizes natural regeneration rather than planting, and this by creating the right conditions. The Lebanese state has created several Cedar reserves or nature reserves that contain Lebanon Cedars, such as the Chouf Cedar Reserves, the Jaj Cedar Reserve, the Tannourine Reserve, the Ammouaa and Karm Shbat Reserves in the Akkar district, and the Forest of Cedar Gods near Bsharri. Extensive replanting is taking place in Turkey, where approximately 74,000 acres (300 square kilometers) of cedar are planted annually.
Horticultural use[]
The Cedar of Lebanon is widely planted as an ornamental tree in parks, gardens, avenues, and as focal points in large lawns. The most prominent landscaping feature in London's Highgate Cemetery is its "Circle of Lebanon", where a Lebanon Cedar stands in the center of a circular trench cut into the ground and lined with mausoleums.
Gallery[]
External links[]
Book sources[]
- Trees, pg. 78