Cedar

Cedar, common name for the genus Cedrus, three or four species of large trees native to mountainous areas of North Africa and Asia. Cedar trees belong to the pine family, the members of which have needle-like leaves and, like all conifers, bear their seeds on scales clustered into cones. They differ from other members of the family in their evergreen four-angled leaves borne on short side-branches. The genus produces fragrant, durable, red-coloured wood used in construction and cabinetmaking, and for making pencils. Although no true cedars are native to other regions, they are planted as ornamentals in milder areas, and various horticultural varieties, based on growth form and leaf colour, exist.

The best-known cedar is the cedar of Lebanon, mentioned often in the Old Testament; the First Temple of Solomon was built of this wood (1 Kings 5:6). It is native to Asia Minor, and today only a few original groves remain, although they contain some trees of great age. Trees may reach 40 m (130 ft) in height and produce spreading branches with horizontal masses of foliage, giving a distinctive, broad outline. The dark to bright green leaves are about 2.5 cm (1 in) long, and the upright cones are about 10 cm (4 in) long. The Atlas cedar is closely related to the cedar of Lebanon and occurs in the Atlas Mountains of North Africa. The remaining cedar, deodar, occurs in the Himalaya and is an important timber tree in India. It has a conical outline like that of the Atlas cedar but differs in that its cones are round and not flat at the apex.

The name “cedar” is also applied to other conifer trees with fragrant wood (see Cypress). The western red cedar and white cedar are both important timber trees native to North America. White cedar has apple-scented foliage. Japanese red cedar is a major timber tree in China and Japan which is also planted in parts of Europe. Pencil cedar, sometimes called Eastern red cedar, is a juniper. A flowering tropical American mahogany is known as Spanish or West Indian cedar.

Scientific classification: Cedar trees belong to the family Pinaceae. The cedar of Lebanon is classified as Cedrus libani, the Atlas cedar as Cedrus atlantica, and the deodar as Cedrus deodara. North American conifers called cedars belong to the family Cupressaceae: the western red cedar is classified as Thuja plicata, the white cedar as Thuja occidentalis, the Japanese red cedar as Cryptomeria Japonica, and the pencil cedar as Juniperus virginiana. Spanish or West Indian cedar is classified as Cedrela odorata of the family Meliaceae.