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Cedrus libani

Common name:	Cedar Of Lebanon	Family:	Pinaceae
Author:	A.Rich.	Botanical references:	11, 200
Synonyms:	Cedrus libanitica (Trew.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	N. Africa to W. Asia - Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.
Habitat:	Forms forests at 1200 - 2000 metres[11].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. libanensis[G] C. libani subsp. libani[G] C. libanotica[E,G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Cedar Of Lebanon [H], Sediragaci [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	cedrus = of the cedars;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Pinales. Pine family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Egypt; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 30m by 15m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in leaf all year, in flower from October to November, and the seeds ripen from October to December. The scented flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. It cannot tolerate atmospheric pollution.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Canopy.

Edible Uses

Manna.

A manna is obtained from the tree[2, 105]. No more details were given in the report.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiseptic; Expectorant.

The leaves and the wood are antiseptic and expectorant. They act to disinfect the respiratory tract[254].

Other Uses

Essential; Resin; Wood.

An oil similar to turpentine is obtained from the wood[46, 61].
An essential oil from the wood is used in perfumery[61].
Wood - moderately hard, durable. Used for construction[1, 46, 61]. The wood is extremely durable and retains its delightful fragrance for many years[245].

Cultivation details

Thrives on most soils, being very tolerant of chalk, dry sites and of drought when it is established[11, 81, 200]. Prefers a rich loam or a sandy clay in full sun[1]. Succeeds in warm dry areas with less than 40cm of rain a year, but also in areas with cool summers and up to 200cm of rain[200]. Very intolerant of atmospheric pollution[11, 81].
Small trees less than 50cm tall establish much quicker and better than taller trees, those more than 2 metres tall are difficult to establish[200]. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance[200].
Fairly slow growing, trees rarely average more than 30cm increase in height per year[185]. Trees can be very long lived, to 300 years or more[185].
There are several named varieties selected for their ornamental value[188].
Small male cones are formed on the lower branches of trees, whilst the larger female cones are formed on higher branches[238]. These female cones persist on the tree for 2 - 3 years before breaking up[238].
Trees are notably susceptible to honey fungus[81, 200].
The trees have a broad canopy and tend to hold any falling snow. This can lead to branches being broken by the weight of snow[81].

Propagation

Seed - collect the cones in winter and keep in a warm room until they open[1]. Sow immediately in a cold frame[78]. One report says that a short cold stratification of one month improves germination rates[113]. Keep the seed pot moist, but be careful because the young seedlings are very prone to damp off, keep them well ventilated[113]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Give them some protection from winter cold for their first winter or two outdoors[K].
Cuttings of terminal shoots can be tried in a frame in November but they are very difficult[113].

Scent

Plant: Crushed Dried: The wood is very aromatic and can retain this aroma for many years.

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Cedrus libani subsp. libani (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Cedrus libanotica (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for the family Pinaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[81] Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X
Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[185] Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975 ISBN 0-11-710012-9
A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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