Cedrus libani, commonly known as cedar of Lebanon, Lebanon cedar, or Lebanese cedar (), is a species of large evergreen conifer in the genus Cedrus, which belongs to the Pinaceae and is native species 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 and Israelites literature, notably in the Hebrew Bible, according to which the tree was used in the construction of the Jerusalem Temple by Solomon, who received the trees from Hiram I. Today, it is the national emblem of Lebanon and is widely used as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens.
Description
Cedrus libani can reach in height, with a massive
monopodial columnar trunk up to in diameter.
[Farjon 2010, p. 258] The trunks of old, open-grown trees often
Tree fork into several large, erect branches.
[Masri 1995] The rough and scaly bark is dark grey to blackish brown, and is run through by deep, horizontal fissures that peel in small chips. The first-order branches are ascending in young trees; they grow to a massive size and take on a horizontal, wide-spreading disposition. Second-order branches are dense and grow in a horizontal plane. The crown is conical when young, becoming broadly tabular with age with fairly level branches; trees growing in dense forests maintain more conical shape.
Shoots and leaves
The shoots are dimorphic, with both long and short shoots. New shoots are pale brown, older shoots turn grey, grooved and scaly.
C. libani has slightly resinous ovoid
Bud measuring long and wide enclosed by pale brown
deciduous scales. The
leaf are needle-like, arranged in spirals and concentrated at the proximal end of the long shoots, and in clusters of 15–35 on the short shoots; they are long and wide,
Rhombus in cross-section, and vary from light green to glaucous green with
bands on all four sides.
[Hemery & Simblet 2014, p. 53]
Cones
Cedrus libani produces cones beginning at around the age of 20–40. Its cones are borne in autumn, the male cones appear in early September and the female ones in late September.
[CABI 2013, p. 116] Male cones occur at the ends of the short shoots; they are solitary and erect about long and mature from pale green to pale yellow-brown. The female seed cones also grow at the terminal ends of short shoots. The young seed cones are resinous, sessile, and pale green; they require 12 months after pollination to mature. The mature, woody cones are long and wide; they are scaly, resinous, ovoid or barrel-shaped, and green ripening to grey-brown the autumn after pollination. Mature cones open from top to bottom, they disintegrate and lose their seed scales, releasing the seeds until only the cone
rachis remains attached to the branches.
[Farjon 2010, p. 259]
The seed scales are thin, broad, and coriaceous, measuring long and wide. The seeds are ovoid, long and wide, attached to a light brown wedge-shaped wing that is long and wide.
Taxonomy
Cedrus is the Latin name for true cedars.
[Farjon 2010, p. 254] The
Botanical name refers to the
Mount Lebanon mountain range where the species was first described by
French people botanist
Achille Richard; the tree is commonly known as the Lebanon cedar or cedar of Lebanon.
[Bory 1823, p. 299] Two to three distinct types are accepted as varieties:
C. libani var.
libani,
C. libani var.
brevifolia,
and
C. libani var.
stenocoma;
the last not being considered distinct by all authorities.
C. libani var. libani: Lebanon cedar, cedar of Lebanon – grows in Lebanon, western Syria, and south-central Turkey. C. libani var. stenocoma (the Taurus cedar), considered a subspecies in earlier literature, is now considered as a variety or ecotype of C. libani var. libani. It usually has a spreading crown that does not flatten. This distinct morphology is a habit that is assumed to cope with the competitive environment, since the tree occurs in dense stands mixed with the tall-growing Abies cilicica, or in pure stands of young cedar trees.
C. libani var. brevifolia: The Cyprus cedar occurs on the island's Troodos Mountains.[Debazac 1964][Ladjal 2001] It is characterised by slow growth, shorter needles, and higher tolerance to drought and aphids.[Fabre et al. 2001, pp. 88–89] Genetic relationship studies, however, did not separate C. brevifolia as a separate species, the markers being indistinguishable from those of C. libani.[Fady et al. 2000][Kharrat 2006, p. 282]
Distribution and habitat
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
Orthent 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 ; the trees are blanketed by a heavy snow cover at the higher elevations.
In Lebanon and Turkey, it occurs most abundantly at elevations of , where it forms pure
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 .
C. libani var. brevifolia grows in similar conditions in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus at medium to high elevations ranging from .
History and symbolism
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest great works of literature, the Sumerian hero
Gilgamesh and his friend
Enkidu travel to the legendary
Cedar Forest to kill its guardian and cut down its trees. While early versions of the story place the forest in Iran, later Babylonian accounts of the story place the Cedar Forest in Lebanon.
The Lebanon cedar is mentioned several times in the
Bible. Hebrew priests were ordered by
Moses to use the bark of the Lebanon cedar in the treatment of leprosy.
[Leviticus 14:1–4] Solomon also procured cedar timber to build the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Hebrew prophet
Isaiah used the Lebanon cedar (together with "oaks of Bashan", "all the high mountains" and "every high tower") as examples of loftiness as a metaphor for the pride of the world
[Isaiah 2:13] and in
Psalm 92:12 it says "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon".
[Psalm 92:12 – "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon"]
According to a rabbinic legend found in the Talmud, the cedar of Lebanon appears symbolically in Yohanan ben Zakkai's meeting with the Roman general Vespasian during the First Jewish–Roman War. As the story goes, when ben Zakkai secretly fled the besieged Jerusalem to negotiate with Vespasian, he prophesied the general's rise to the imperial throne by citing a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah: "And the Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one" (Isaiah 10:34). In this interpretation, "Lebanon" is understood to represent the Temple in Jerusalem, which was built using cedars from Lebanon, and the "mighty one" is Vespasian, implying that his destruction of the Temple would signal his ascent as emperor.[Talmud, Gittin 56b; Lamentations Rabbah 1:5 §31]
National and regional significance
The Lebanon cedar is the
national emblem of Lebanon, and is displayed on the flag of Lebanon and coat of arms of Lebanon. It is also the logo of Middle East Airlines, which is Lebanon's national carrier. Beyond that, it is also the main symbol of Lebanon's "
Cedar Revolution" of 2005, the 17 October Revolution, also known as the
Thawra ("Revolution") along with many Lebanese political parties and movements, such as the
Lebanese Forces. Finally, Lebanon is sometimes
metonymy referred to as the Land of the Cedars.
[Erman 1927, p. 261][Cromer 2004, p. 58]
Cultivation
Cultivation of Lebanon cedar dates back at least 3,200 years, when the
Hittites 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.[Hemery & Simblet 2014, p. 55][Howard 1955, p. 168]
The first Lebanon cedars in United Kingdom were introduced by Edward Pococke, who collected seed in 1638–39 while based in Syria as chaplain to the Levant Company; on his return to Britain, he was given the living of Childrey; a tree he planted at the Rectory there in 1646 is the oldest surviving specimen in Britain.[Hemery & Simblet 2014, p. 54] In Britain, cedars of Lebanon are known for their use in London's Highgate Cemetery.
C. libani has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit
Arkansas, among other United States states, has a Champion Tree program that records exceptional tree specimens. A Lebanon cedar listed by the state is located inside Hot Springs National Park and is estimated to be over 100 years old.
Propagation
in
Shimizu Park Noda, Chiba Japan. Photo taken on 5, May 2005.]]
In order to germinate
Cedrus libani seeds, potting soil is preferred, since it is less likely to contain fungal species which may kill the seedling in its early stages. Before sowing it is important to soak the seed at room temperature for a period of 24 hours followed by cold stratification (~3–5°C) for two to four weeks. Once the seeds have been sown, it is recommended that they be kept at room temperature (~20°C) and in the vicinity of sunlight. The soil should be kept slightly damp with low frequency watering. Over-watering may cause damping off which will quickly kill the seedlings. Initial growth will be around 3–5cm the first year and will accelerate subsequent years.
[Tree Seed Online LTD]
Uses
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/m
3; 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.
[CABI 2013, p. 117][Coxe 1808, p. CED]
Ecology and conservation
Over the centuries, extensive
deforestation has occurred, with only small remnants of the original forests surviving. Deforestation has been particularly severe in Lebanon and on Cyprus; on Cyprus, only small trees up to tall survive, though Pliny the Elder recorded cedars tall there.
[Willan, R. G. N. (1990). The Cyprus Cedar. Int. Dendrol. Soc. Yearbk. 1990: 115–118.] Attempts have been made at various times throughout history to conserve the Lebanon cedars. The first was made by the
Roman emperor Hadrian; he created an imperial forest and ordered it marked by inscribing
Boundary marker, two of which are in the museum of the American University of Beirut.
[Shackley, pp. 420–421]
Extensive reforestation of cedar is carried out in the Mediterranean region. In Turkey, over 50 million young cedars are planted annually, covering an area around .[Anon. History of Turkish Forestry. Turkish Ministry of Forestry.][Khuri, S. & Talhouk, S. N. (1999). Cedar of Lebanon. pp. 108–111. in: Farjon, A. & Page, C. N. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan: Conifers. IUCN/SSC Conifer Specialist Group. .] Lebanese cedar populations are also expanding through an active program combining replanting and protection of natural regeneration from browsing , hunting, forest fires, and woodworms.[Talhouk & Zurayk 2004, pp. 411–414][Semaan, M. & Haber, R. (2003). In situ conservation on Cedrus libani in Lebanon. Acta Hort. 615: 415–417.][ Cedars of Lebanon Nature Reserve ]
Because during the seedling stage, differentiating C. libani from C. atlantica or C. deodara is difficult,[Farjon, Aljos. Conifers: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, 1999, p. 110]
Diseases and pests
C. libani is susceptible to a number of soil-borne, foliar, and stem pathogens. The seedlings are prone to fungal attacks.
Botrytis cinerea, a
Parasitism fungus known to cause considerable damage to food crops, attacks the cedar needles, causing them to turn yellow and drop.
Armillaria mellea (commonly known as honey fungus) is a
Basidiomycota that fruits in dense clusters at the base of trunks or stumps and attacks the roots of cedars growing in wet soils. The Lebanese cedar shoot moth (
Parasyndemis cedricola) is a species of
moth of the family
Tortricidae found in the forests of Lebanon and Turkey; its larvae feed on young cedar leaves and buds.
In art and literature
An engraving of a painting by William Henry Bartlett,
Beirout and Mount Lebanon was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838 with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon, entitled
[ ]
Gallery
File:Réserve des cèdres de Tannourine au Liban-Nord S73F2380.jpg|Tannourine
File:Cedars01(js).jpg|"Cedars of God" grove, Bsharri
File:Libanonzeder.jpg|"Cedars of God", Bsharri
File:A Cedar of Lebanon .PNG|19th century painting
File:Grove of Cedars, Lebanon.png|1881 engraving
See also
-
Cedar Forest – Lebanon cedar forest that was home to the gods in Ancient Mesopotamian religion
-
Cedars of God – an old-growth C. libani forest and World Heritage Site
-
List of plants known as cedar
Bibliography
External links
-
Cedrus libani – information, genetic conservation units and related resources. European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN)
