Cedar of Lebanon

The Cedar of Lebanon is a a tall evergreen tree, that is pri zed for it's high quality timber, oils and resins.

Characteristics

The Cedar of Lebanon has a single thick, trunk and spirally arranged branches. Younger trees have a cone shaped crown (shape of foliage), while older trees have a more broad and flat crown. The colour of the bark is a dark-grayish brown and becomes deeply cracked with age. It produces two separate types of shoots (what the leaves grow out of). The first type is outstretched or long shoots which form the framework of the trees branches. The other type is condensed or short shoots which bear most of the leaves. Both the long and short shoots contain needles. The long shoots have widely spread needles that are spread in spirals. The short shoots have needles that grow in tufts of about 15-45 needles per tuft. The leaves of the tree are stiff and dark bluish green in colour. Each leaf measure at about 3.5 centimeters in length.

Biology

The Cedar of Lebanon is a slow growing species, that can live for a remarkable amount of time (reports of individual trees living 1000 years). The reason why these trees are so popular is because if their durable, decay-resistant and sweet smelling wood.

Range and Habitat

As you can tell by the name the Cedar of Lebanon is native to Lebanon (yes you guessed it ). It can also be found in the mountains of Syria and Turkey. The Cedar if Lebanon typically grows at elevations of 1300-2500 meters. It may occur in pure stands containing only cedar species, but may also occur in mixed forests containing fir, pine, oak and juniper species.

Status and Threats

The status of the Cedar of Lebanon is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It is highly threatened in Lebanon and its range is restricted in Syria. Its biggest threats are goat grazing, urbanization and the expansion of agricultural land. It can also be threatened by insect pests, fires and pollution.

Information from: http://www.arkive.org/cedar-of-lebanon/cedrus-libani/

Photo Credit: Bob Gibbons @ www.ardea.com and http://www.arkive.org/cedar-of-lebanon/cedrus-libani/