cedar - Uses, References and external links

An evergreen conifer with a massive trunk and flat, wide-spreading crown, native to the mountains of N Africa, the Himalayas, and the E Mediterranean; needles sometimes bluish, in tufts; timber fragrant and oily. It should not be confused with the ‘cedar’ of commerce, which is obtained from other conifers. (Genus: Cedrus, 4 species. Family: Pinaceae.)

?Cedars
A cedar in a French garden
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Pinaceae Genus: Cedrus Duham.
Species
Cedrus deodara Cedrus libani   C. atlantica

Cedar correctly refers to those trees belonging to the genus Cedrus in the coniferous plant family Pinaceae. 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;

There are five taxa of Cedrus, assigned according to taxonomic opinion to two to four different species:

Deodar Cedar Cedrus deodara. Leaves bright green to pale glaucous green, 25-60 mm; Leaves dark green to glaucous blue-green, 8-25 mm; four varieties, which are treated as species by many authors: Lebanon Cedar Cedrus libani var. Leaves dark green to glaucous blue-green, 10-25 mm. Turkish Cedar Cedrus libani var. Leaves dark green to glaucous blue-green, 10-25 mm.

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). Extensive reforestation of cedar is carried out in the Mediterranean region, particularly Turkey, where over 50 million young cedars are being planted annually.

References and external links

Arboretum de Villardebelle - cone photos (scroll to bottom of page) Arboretum de Villardebelle - Turkey some photos of Cedrus libani var.