cedar

cedar, any of four species of ornamental and timber evergreen conifers of the genus Cedrus (family Pinaceae), three native to mountainous areas of the Mediterranean region and one to the western Himalayas. Many other coniferous trees known as “cedars” resemble true cedars in being evergreen and in having aromatic, often red or red-tinged wood that in many cases is decay-resistant and insect-repellent. The giant arborvitae, incense cedar, and some junipers (viz., red cedar; q.v.) provide the familiar “cedarwood” of pencils, chests, closet linings, and fence posts; an oil distilled from the wood is used in many toiletries.

The Atlas cedar (C. atlantica), the Cyprus cedar (C. brevifolia), the deodar (C. deodara), and the cedar of Lebanon (C. libani) are the true cedars. They are tall trees with large trunks and massive, irregular heads of spreading branches. Young trees are covered with smooth, dark-gray bark that becomes brown, fissured, and scaly with age. The needlelike, three-sided, rigid leaves are scattered along the long shoots and clustered in dense tufts at the ends of short spurs. Each leaf bears two resin canals and remains on the tree three to six years. The large, barrel-shaped, resinous female cones, greenish or purplish, are borne on short stalks; they are covered by broad, thin, closely overlapping woody scales, each with a clawlike projection.

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Cedarwood is light, soft, resinous, and durable, even when in contact with soil or moisture. It is an important structural timber in native regions but is infrequently used elsewhere. Distillation of the wood releases an aromatic oil. Many varieties of the Atlas cedar and the deodar are popular ornamentals in North America, especially along the Pacific and Gulf coasts.

Distinctions between the four species of true cedar are often difficult to define. Interbreeding occurs, and some authorities consider the four to be geographical variants of one species, usually the cedar of Lebanon.