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International Dendrology Society

Cedrus libani A. Richard

Cedar of Lebanon

Modern name

Cedrus libani A.Rich.

Synonyms

C. libanitica Trew (a pre-Linnean name)

A tree 80 to 120 ft high and 4 to 8 ft in diameter of trunk, pyramidal when young, ultimately flat and spreading at the top, and developing huge horizontal branches; young shoots usually furnished with a minute down. Leaves 3⁄4 to 11⁄4 in. long, needle-like, but thickest towards the end. Cones 3 to 5 in. long, 2 to 21⁄2 in. wide, barrel-shaped.

Native of the Near East, best known from its historic stands in the Lebanon, but attaining its maximum development in the Cilician Taurus, Turkey, where it forms forests at 4,000 to 7,000 ft; further west it occurs in scattered stands almost as far as the Aegean. Introduced in the seventeenth century, probably between 1670 and 1680, perhaps earlier. Irrespective of its sacred and historical associations, no tree ever introduced to our islands has added more to the charm of gardens than the cedar of Lebanon. Its thick, stately trunk and noble crown of wide-spreading, horizontal branches give to it an air of distinction no other tree at present can rival, although in course of time, perhaps, the Atlas cedar assumes a similar form. The largest specimen on Mount Lebanon is over 40 ft in girth of trunk.

As noted in previous editions, the finest tree recorded by Elwes and Henry grew at Pains Hill near Cobham and measured 115 to 120 ft high with a girth of 261⁄2 ft. This tree no longer exists, but others of good size remain there. The following list of recent measurements includes trees notable in height, girth, or length of bole and some others of which the planting date is known: Petworth, Sussex, 132 × 171⁄2 ft (1961); Fort Belvedere, Windsor. pl. 1760, 110 × 181⁄2 ft (1964); Sherborne Castle, Dorset, 120 × 193⁄4 ft (1963); Highclere, Hants, 122 × 25 ft (1955); Bowood, Wilts., 129 × 181⁄2 ft (1957); Cobham Hall, Kent, 98 × 201⁄2 ft (1965); Claremont, Esher, Surrey, 95 × 201⁄4 ft (1965); Peper Harrow, Surrey, pl. 1735, 90 × 241⁄2 ft (1961); The Whittern, Heref., pl. 1810, 80 × 223⁄4 ft (1963); Dogmersfield Park, Hants, 126 × 161⁄2 ft (1961); Wilton House, Wilts., 93 × 25 and 100 × 231⁄2 ft (1961); Bayfordbury, Herts., pl. 1765, 90 × 231⁄2 ft (1962); Powderham Castle, Devon, 92 × 211⁄4 ft (1963); Whitfield House, Heref., 85 × 221⁄4 ft (1963); Blenheim Palace, Oxon., 85 × 27 ft and 115 × 231⁄4 ft (1965).

As will be seen from the above list, the cedar of Lebanon thrives best in the warmer parts of the country; it likes a deep, loamy soil. From London, where the climate suits it admirably, it is excluded by atmospheric pollution, to which it is very sensitive.

f. argentea (Carr.) Beissn. – Leaves of a very glaucous hue. Reported to be found wild in the Cilician stands.

Both in the Atlas and Lebanon cedars one occasionally sees forms that lose all or most of their leaves in winter. They are usually stiff in habit, short-leaved and slow-growing. It is questionable whether these characters are not merely due to inferior vigour.

var. brevifolia Hook. f. C. brevifolia (Hook, f.) Henry Cyprus Cedar. – This differs from the Lebanon cedar in the shorter leaves (1⁄4 to 1⁄2 in. long), and in the smaller cylindrical cones; first described in 1879; introduced to Kew two years later. The trees on the mountains of Cyprus average about 40 ft in height. In cultivation the following sizes have been recorded: National Pinetum, Bedgebury, pl. 1926, 44 × 23⁄4 ft (1967); Borde Hill, Sussex, 52 × 3 ft (1958); Wakehurst Place, Sussex, 47 × 21⁄2 and 44 × 33⁄4 ft (1964); Bicton, Devon, 43 × 33⁄4 ft (1964); Windsor Great Park, 39 × 13⁄4 ft (1964). For further information on the Cyprus cedar see the article by J. E. Garfitt in Quarterly Journal of Forestry, Vol. 60, July 1966.

The Turkish representatives of C. libani are said to be of more columnar habit than those found in the Lebanon, and trees raised from seed collected in the Cilician Taurus in 1903 have proved hardier at the Arnold Arboretum than the true cedar of Lebanon. Schwarz, whose views on the Mediterranean cedars are mentioned in the introductory note, treats the Turkish cedar as a subspecies, but Coode and Cullen remark that the botanical characters he used to distinguish this from subsp. libani are not well correlated and consider that the two taxa can hardly be maintained as distinct (Flora of Turkey, Vol. 1, pp. 71-2, 1965). See also the note and photographs by P. H. Davis in Journ. R.H.S., Vol. 74, p. 112, and figs. 39 and 40.

From the Supplement (Vol. V)

A fascinating and lengthy account of the cedar of Lebanon in ancient times will be found in: Russell Meiggs, Trees and Timber in the Ancient Mediterranean World (1983), Chapter 3. The author of this work is a classical historian who was for many years lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Oxford, and he devoted to its preparation some twenty years of research – the result being a contribution to dendrology of outstanding importance and originality. A well-researched account of the Lebanon cedar in cultivation by P. J. Jarvis will be found in Journ. R.H.S. Vol. 99 (1974), pp. 539-46.

specimens: Painshill, Surrey, 115-20 × 261⁄2 ft in 1904, now 120 × 321⁄2 ft at 2 ft (1981) (this tree was erroneously stated on page 560 no longer to exist); Cobham Park, Surrey, with a fine bole, 75 × 203⁄4 ft (1981); Claremont, Esher, Surrey, 105 × 211⁄2 ft, bole 50 ft (1979); Peper Harrow, Surrey, pl. 1735, 90 × 243⁄4 ft (1971); Petworth House, Sussex, 135 × 19 ft (1983); Goodwood Park, Sussex, pl. 1760, 132 × 29 ft, bole 8 ft (1985) and another 118 × 283⁄4 ft at 2 ft (1980); Cobham Hall, Kent, 98 × 203⁄4 ft and, on the hill, 105 × 251⁄4 ft at 1 ft (1976); Bayfordbury, Herts., pl. 1765, 90 × 24 ft (1973); Beechwood, Bucks., 98 × 283⁄4 ft at 3 ft (1978); Stowe Park, Bucks., 102 × 263⁄4 ft, a superb tree with a 20 ft bole (1981); Blenheim Palace, Oxon., by the Cascade, 95 × 273⁄4 ft (1978); Rousham Park, Oxon., 138 × 181⁄2 ft, bole 18 ft (1983); Dogmersfield Park, Hants, 120 × 171⁄4 ft (1973); Highclere, Hants, by the Castle, 118 × 243⁄4 ft at 3 ft and 117 × 231⁄2 ft at 2 ft and, in the Park, pl. 1772, 115 × 261⁄4 ft (1978); Bowood, Wilts., 135 × 173⁄4 ft (1975) and another 124 × 211⁄2 ft (1985); Wilton House, Wilts., 88 × 281⁄4 ft and 82 × 25 ft (1971); Sherborne Castle, Dorset, 121 × 201⁄4 ft (1978); Ranston House, Dorset, pl. c. 1680, 92 × 213⁄4 ft, bole 33 ft (1978); Stanway, Glos., 115 × 263⁄4 ft (1978); Eastnor Castle, Heref., on Drive, 129 × 211⁄4 ft (1977); Hartrow Manor, Som., 56 × 321⁄2 ft at 3 ft (1978); Biel, E. Lothian, pl. 1707, 85 × 243⁄4 ft at 2 ft (1985).

var. brevifolia - specimens: National Pinetum, Bedgebury, Kent, pl. 1926, three trees, the largest in girth 56 × 41⁄2 ft (1978); Windsor Great Park, the largest of three 68 × 5 ft (1981); Wakehurst Place, Sussex, the largest of three 66 × 51⁄2 ft (1979); Borde Hill, Sussex, in Warren Wood, 74 × 41⁄2 ft (1978); Pitts Corner, Winchester, in the former Hillier nursery, 56 × 5 ft (1979); Bicton, Devon, 52 × 51⁄2 ft (1979); Gregynog, Powys, 48 × 51⁄2 ft (1979); Powis Castle, Powys, in West Park, 59 × 5 ft (1981).

In ancient times the Cyprus cedar had a wider range than it does today, when it is confined to the Cedar Valley in the western part of the Troodos mountains, between Stavros and the famous Kykko Monastery.

There are few cultivars of C. libani and none is of much importance. The following are available:

cv. ‘Aurea’. – Foliage golden when young. Inferior to the golden form of the Atlas cedar, from which it differs in its green older leaves (silvery grey in the latter).

cv. ‘Comte de Dijon’. – A slow-growing variant, ovoid in form when young, with slender more or less radially arranged needles. Raised by Messrs Barbier of Orléans about 1867 but apparently not put into commerce until 1908. An authentic plant in the National Botanic Garden, Glasnevin, Eire, was about 3 ft by 3 ft in 1938 but some 16 ft high and 13 ft wide by 1966 (Welch, Dwarf Conifers, p. 113 and ill. 38 (1966)).

† cv. ‘Sargentii’. – A slow-growing bush; branches at first horizontal, later more or less pendulous. It is of sprawling habit if not trained up. Raised in the Arnold Arboretum, Massachusetts, and named in 1923.

Genus

Cedrus

Other species in the genus

Modern name

Some names used by Bean have now been superseded and are no longer familiar. To ensure that all plants can be easily found, under any name, we have cross-referenced to The Plant List, a collaboration between RBG Kew, Missouri Botanical Gardens and other organisations, which aims to provide a currently accepted name for any plant. Not all taxonomists will agree with all Plant List nomenclature, but it provides a baseline to compare names. For each species above, clicking on the Modern Name will link to the entry for that name on The Plant List website.

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