43. Cedar of Lebanon

Tree Tour

Previous

Next

Two trees stand out prominently at the Art building: the purpleleaf beech and the lofty Cedar of Lebanon. Of the many different kinds of trees whose wood qualities caused them to be called cedars, the Lebanese is the original. It is Cedrus, Latinized from the ancient Greek kedros, and grows not only in Lebanon but in Turkey and adjacent countries; it is the Biblical cedar. Deodar and Atlas cedars are its close kindred. These illustrious trees are not easily identified, because the three species are often very similar looking. The Art building tree, however, is a classic; it shows perfectly the peculiar attributes of the Lebanese: flushing forth early in spring bright green needles in stunning contrast to the dark green old winter needles; growing with tabular branches, bearing sharp needles longer than those of Atlas cedar, shorter and more densely set than those of the Deodar. The bark is darkest of all. This example bears only male cones, but if it did make female ones they'd be mostly at the top of the tree and larger than those of Atlas cedar. One reason that authentic Lebanese cedars are so rare is that they make fewer cones, which are harder to get, and which have lower seed germination rates; and the seedlings grow slowly!

Pictured below: Map of geographical range of Cedar of Lebanon.

Tree Tour Previous Next