Cedar Tree

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Cedar (tree) is a common name for three or four species of large trees native to mountainous areas of North Africa and Asia. Cedar trees belong to the pine family, the members of which have needlelike leaves and, like all conifers, bear their seeds on scales clustered into cones. They differ from other members of the family in their evergreen four-angled leaves borne on short side-branches. The genus produces fragrant, durable, red-colored wood used in construction and cabinetry.

The name cedar is also applied to other conifer trees with fragrant wood (see Cypress). The well-known white cedar grows in swamps of the eastern United States and reaches a height of 24 m (80 ft). An arborvitae is also called cedar; western cedar and eastern white cedar are both important timber trees in the United States. Eastern red cedar, widespread in the eastern United States, is a juniper. A flowering tropical American mahogany is known as Spanish or West Indian cedar.

Incense Cedar
Native to western North America, the incense cedar is named for its fragrant wood. A stately conifer, it can attain a height of over 55 m (180 ft) and a trunk diameter of more than 9 m (30 ft). It is identified by its deeply furrowed, reddish-brown bark and shiny, flattened, dark green leaves.


Western Red Cedar
Of the two types of cedar, only cupressineous cedars, or those belonging to the cypress family, are native to North America. These scaly-leafed evergreens thrive in moist soil and dominate many forests in the United States. Their fragrant, durable, easily crafted wood is often used to line closets and chests, as well as to make pencils, telephone poles, and other items. True cedars, with needlelike leaves, are members of the pine family. Grown ornamentally in the rest of the world, the four species exist naturally in northern Africa, the Middle East, the Himalayas, and on the island of Cyprus. The western red cedar is Thuja plicata.

Scientific classification: Cedar trees belong to the family Pinaceae. The cedar of Lebanon is classified as Cedrus libani, the Cyprus cedar as Cedrus brevifolia, the Atlas cedar as Cedrus atlantica, and the deodar as Cedrus deodara. North American conifers called cedars belong to the family Cupressaceae: the white cedar is classified as Chamaecyparis thyoides, the western cedar as Thuja plicata, the eastern white cedar as Thuja occidentalis, and the eastern red cedar as Juniperus virginiana. Spanish or West Indian cedar is classified as Cedrela odorata of the family Meliaceae.
  • Juniper
  • Tamarisk

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