Cedar of Lebanon

The 3,000-year-old tree on a flag

The cedar of Lebanon is the tree on Lebanon's flag! It is huge, with branches growing in flat 'storeys'. Some cedars are 3,000 years old — standing since the time of the pharaohs. Ancient Egyptians and Phoenicians built ships and palaces from cedar because its wood is fragrant and never rots. Few old cedar forests remain, and they are protected.

The cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) is a conifer of the mountains of Lebanon, Syria and Turkey at 1,300–3,000 m, up to 40 m tall and 2.5 m across. Its resinous, fragrant wood resists pests and rot — the 'strategic resource' of the ancient world: the Epic of Gilgamesh, Solomon's Temple, Phoenician ships, Egyptian sarcophagi. Millennia of logging left under 2,000 ha in Lebanon (the 'Cedars of God' grove is a UNESCO site). Its classic shape: a cone when young, a flat 'table' crown in old age. It lives up to 3,000 years. Warming and pests (Cephalcia) are new threats; the largest forests survive in Turkey's Taurus Mountains. It is the emblem of Lebanon's flag and coat of arms.

Fun facts

• The cedar of Lebanon lives 3,000 years — since the pharaohs.
• Solomon's Temple and Phoenician ships were built of cedar.
• The cedar is the tree on Lebanon's flag.