Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani. Photo: Olivier BEZES, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cedrus libani Cedar of Lebanon أرز لبنان The Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani, is truly one of the most iconic trees of the world. Notably, it appears on the Lebanese flag, one of the few national flags featuring a plant (along with the maple leaf). With Lebanese Independence Day on the 22nd November, we thought the rich history of the cedar was a timely tale. This tall evergreen conifer with broad, horizontal branches, grows in calcareous soils on ridges and slopes of the mountains of Lebanon, Syria and Turkey, and is of great historical and religious significance in the Middle East as a symbol of holiness, eternity and peace.
The recorded history of the cedar goes Distribution of Cedrus libani a long way back. Cedar in Lebanon, Syria and Turkey wood from Lebanon was Red X = Cedrus libani var. breviolia in Cyprus. used in fittings on Cheops’ barge (built ~ Map by Giovanni Caudullo, CC BY 4.0 2400 BC), unearthed
Cedar forests were over-exploited by the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Romans, Israelites and Turks throughout antiquity. The Roman Emperor, Hadrian, even created an imperial forest in 2 AD as a conservation measure! In a stand of some 300 trees, known as the Cedars of God, some trees are estimated to be more than 1000 years old. Although sweet smelling, the timber is quite bitter, with natural protection against
Cedrus libani, Lebanon, April 2004. Originally pests and diseases, hence its usefulness as a uploaded on de:wiki by de:Benutzer:Mpeylo building material. Sawdust, and resin (cedria) was used by the Egyptians for mummification and embalming, and the resin was also used to coat and strengthen papyrus, laminating, or plastic-coating you could say. Although in present times the most extensive stands are in Turkey, the remaining individuals in Lebanon are considered to be of great importance for the genetic diversity of the species. There are now extensive reforestation programs in Lebanon, Turkey and on Cyprus, with replanting combined with management of pests (goats and insects), hunting, fire and woodworm.
The Cedar of Lebanon has long been grown as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens around the world. In 1938, six Cedar trees from the historic Cedar grove, Arz-el-Rub, the Cedars of God, were presented to the Commonwealth of Australia by the Republic of Lebanon.. The grove of trees known as the Cedars of God is sacred to three religions, Christian, Muslim and Hebrew, ensuring its survival.
Cedars of God: BlingBling10, CC BY-SA 3.0
Alison Downing, Brian Atwell, Karen Marais, Kevin Downing Department of Biological Sciences
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations): http://www.fao.org/lebanon/programmes-and-projects/success-stories/cedars/en/ Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church, Washington D.C. 2009. http://www.ourladyoflebanon-dc.org/histcedars.html Sydney Morning Herald - Tuesday, August 17, 1938. Reported in: http://members.iinet.net.au/[email protected]/cedar.htm Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cedrus_libani Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Lebanon
Photo by Peripitus, CC BY-SA 3.0