Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Prestigious Plants - Gymnosperms - Conifers 04 - Cedar

Plant Indices

Many trees and plants are referred to as “cedar” in English, but botanists regard the “true” cedars to be organized in the genus Cedrus. New World “cedars” tend to actually be junipers and cypresses.
For convenience, we have merged the Cedrus and Cryptomeria notes into one entry.

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Family: Pinaceae
Cedrus deodara, Chail, Himaschal Pradesh, India.
From Gaurav Verma.

Names: 

  • Cedar
  • Araz [Armenian]
  • Arz [Arabic]
  • Ceddi [Maltese]
  • Ceder [Danish/Dutch/Swedish]
  • Cedr [Czech/Polish]
  • Cèdre [French]
  • Cedro [Italian/Portuguese/Spanish]
  • Cedru [Romanian]
  • Chóinos [Greek]
  • Erz [Hebrew]
  • Kedar [Hebrew/Hindi]
  • Kedr [Russian]
  • Kedras [Lithuanian]
  • Kedrus [Greek]
  • Sedir [Turkish]
  • Sugi [Japanese]
  • Xian Bai [Chinese]
  • Zeder [German]

Physical Description
Cedrus is a genus of medium-sized evergreen trees that grow between 30-40m (100-130ft) tall, occasionally reaching up to 60m (200ft). The wood is resinous, spicy, and sweetly-scented. The bark cracks square. The cones are barrel-shaped, roughly 6-12cm (2.4-4.7in) long and 3-8cm (1.2-3.2in) wide.

These are mountainous trees, growing at altitudes of 1,000-2,200m (3,300-7,200ft) in the Mediterranean and 1,500-3,200m (4,900-10,500ft) in the Himalayas. They are well adapted to winter snow and summer drought.

Wood Properties: Long-lasting, durable, resinous, sweet-scented, insect repellent.

Symbolism

Immortality
In ancient Sumeria the Cedar was the Tree of Life, making it a potent symbol of immortality (this is likely Cedar of Lebanon). The association with longevity may explain the Celts and Egyptians' use of cedar resin in embalming. For the latter, it was strongly tied to the cycle of Osiris’s life, death, and rebirth.

From The Illustrated Family Bible with notes by John Kitto.
James Sangster, c 1870.

Divinity
The Greeks and Romans used cedar to carve busts of gods and revered ancestors. This practice continued on into Christian iconographic practice for the depiction of saints.

Love/Fidelity
 Skinner relays a Chinese folk story of a wicked king who set his eyes on the wife of one of his faithful subjects. He threw the man into prison on baseless charges. The man died of grief in the prison, and his wife flung herself from a great height to escape the rapacious advances of the king. The spiteful king ordered they be buried in separate graves, to deny them union in death. From each grave grew a cedar tree, and both rose to great heights, entangling root and branch, becoming known as “the trees of the faithful loves.”

Victorian Flower Language
In Victorian flower language, the cedar symbolizes strength, and its leaf conveys, “I live for thee.”

Culture

Resin/Oil
Cedar resin/oil is naturally repellent to moths, making it popular for lining chests and closets to protect clothes against destruction by insects. This use is referenced as far back as book 24 of The Iliad, where treasures were held in a cedar-lined storage room.

This oil was widely used in producing sacred fumigants and perfumes, magical cosmetics, and the embalming of mummies (Egyptian and Celt).

Modern “cedar” oil, however, is made from Virginian juniper.

Wood
The resin in the wood made it ideal for more than protecting clothes. It was a favored wood for sarcophagi in Egypt and was used in carving figures, icons, idols, etc.

Magic

Magic Perfume
(Tressider/Drury) mentions that it was used in “magical cosmetics,” though what this means exactly is unclear.

Medical
We are not a medical website, do not take health advice from us.

Cedar oil is used as an antiseptic.

A vial of cedar oil.
Own work -- Itineranttrader.

Compiler Notes

  • This resinous wood has strong associations with immortality and the divine, making it suitable for constructing icons and instruments where ritual purity is required.
  • Cedar repels insects, which could well extend to monstrous insects or swarms (the latter especially in a TTRPG context).
  • The wood's repulsion of insects lends itself to the creation of warding instruments. A village mystic or other rural initiate might employ a cedar staff to protect fields, driving away locusts, weevils, and all manner of similar vermin.
  • On the other hand, warding against insects could be turned to suggest a corrupt affiliation. The biblical Beelzebub was the Ba’al of Ekron, whose purity was noted by the lack of insects in his temple. It is believed that this was the basis for a disparaging pun by the Hebrews as the name Ba’al zevul means “lord of the (heavenly) dwelling,” while Ba’al zevuv means “lord of the flies,” marking the god of Ekron as both diminutive and of a kind with vermin. Building on this, cedar might be reframed as kin to the corruption of vermin, allowing the magician to bully swarms of insects to his command by a cedar wand or similar device.
  • Following the above and the Osirian influence, a lich (undead wizard) from a Mediterranean- or Middle Eastern-influenced culture may be given away by the intense smell of cedar oil, which preserves the flesh.

Image Refs

[Img 01 - https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/cedrus/cedrus-deodara/ ]

[Img 02 - https://www.lookandlearn.com/history-images/M390196/Nisroch-sprinkling-the-Sacred-Tree ]

[Img 03 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CedarwoodEssOil.png ]

Cedrus atlantica, Atlas Mountains, Morocco.
Own work -- Nikos D. Karabelas.

Names: 

  • Atlas Cedar
  • Atlas Zeder [German]
  • Atlasceder [Danish/Dutch/Swedish]
  • Atlasz Cédrus [Hungarian]
  • Atlaszcedr [Polish]
  • Atlaszéder [Hungarian]
  • Blå Atlas-Ceder [Danish]
  • Blue Atlas Cedar
  • Cèdre Bleu [French]
  • Cèdre De L'atlas [French]
  • Cedro Del Atlas [Spanish]
  • Cedro Dell'atlante [Italian]
  • Cedro Do Atlas [Portuguese]
  • Marockansk Ceder [Swedish]
  • Mount Atlas Cedar
  • Sedir Atlası [Turkish]

Distribution:  

  • Africa, Northern: Tunisia
  • Europe, Central: Germany, Hungary
  • Europe, Southern: Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain
  • Europe, Western: England, France (including Corsica)

Biome: Alpine; Morocco and Algeria; Rif Mountains, Atlas Mountains, Tell Atlas Mountains.

Physical Description
Atlas cedar is a large evergreen tree 30-15m (98-115ft) tall, with a trunk 1.5-2m (4.9-6.6ft) in diameter. Grows at altitudes 1,370-2,200m (4,490-7,220ft). 

Some consider this a subspecies of the Lebanon cedar.

Cedrus atlantica cone, Arboretum de la Vallée-aux-Loups, Châtenay-Malabry, France.
From Liné1.

Compiler Notes

  • Retained for name and distribution.

Image Refs

[Img 04 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Moroccan_Atlantic_cedar.jpg ]

[Img  05 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cedrus_libani_ssp._atlantica_%27Glauca%27_cone_02_by_Line1.jpg ]

Cedrus libani, Lebanon.
Uploaded by Mpeylo.

Names: 

  • Cedar of Lebanon
  • Arz [Arabic]
  • Arz Ağacı [Turkish]
  • Arz Al-Rab [Arabic]
  • Cèdre Du Liban [French]
  • Cedro Del Libano [Italian/Spanish]
  • Cedro Do Líbano [Portuguese]
  • Cédru Libanului [Romanian]
  • Frenk Çamı [Turkish]
  • Lebanon Cedar
  • Lebanese Cedar
  • Libano Kedras [Lithuanian]
  • Libanonceder [Danish/Dutch/Swedish]
  • Libanoni Cédrus [Hungarian]
  • Libanonský Céder [Czech]
  • Libanonzeder [German]
  • Libańska Choina [Polish]
  • Libanski Cedar [Croatian]
  • Libanski Kedar [Serbian]
  • Lubnan Erzi [Turkish]
  • Lübnan Sediri [Turkish]

Distribution: 

  • Asia, West: Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey

Biome: Alpine

Physical Description
Lebanon cedar is a medium-sized evergreen tree that can reach 40m (130ft) in height and has a trunk up to 2.5m (8 ft+) in diameter. It grows at altitudes of 1,300-3,000 m. In Turkey, it occasionally grows to as low as 500 m.

Cedrus libani male cone, Spier's School, Beith, Ayrshire, Scotland.
Own work -- Roger Griffith (Rosser1954).

Symbolism

Incorruptibility
It has long been a symbol of incorruptibility because of its incredible height, strong, resilient wood, ability to drive away pests, and the preservative quality of its resin. This reaches back into earliest antiquity and persists today. It holds this role biblically and in modern floral language. In Psalm 92:12, it says, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” Its heartwood developed into a metaphor for Christ.

Greenaway identifies that the meaning of “incorruptibility” carried on from Ancient Babylon into Victorian flower language.

Pride
Used in a negative context by the Hebrew prophet Isaiah along with “oaks of Bashan,” “all the high mountains,” and “every high tower” to signify pride within the world.

Humbaba
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the cedar forest that Gilgamesh and his companion Enkidu cut down was guarded by a great demon named Humbaba. When they did battle with the aid of the sun god Shamash, Humbaba was brought low and offered his whole forest and lifelong servitude in exchange for his life. Gilgamesh decapitated him anyways, and Humbaba’s final act was a curse upon the two heroes. Shortly after, the two rode a raft of cedar back to Uruk, whereupon Gilgamesh used the wood to help build the city. Shortly after, the drama of the Bull of Heaven followed, and Humbaba’s curse was fulfilled by the gods striking Enkidu with disease and death.

Terracotta mask of Humbaba, from Ur.
Old-Babylonian period 2004-1595 BC. Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraq.
Own work - Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg).

Temple of Solomon
Because of its incorruptibility, it was employed in constructing the Temple of Solomon.

Cedars of God
The “Cedars of God” are the last remnant of the cedar forests of Mount Lebanon, specifically those from the Kadisha Valley of Bsharre. These appear to be the same ones guarded by Humbaba. Psalm 104:16 claims that the God of Abraham planted these trees.

Culture

Wood
Fine-grained, yellow, fragrant, durable, and immune to insect damage, timber is used in furniture, construction, and crafts. The Egyptians and Phoenicians valued it for shipbuilding, and Gilgamesh and Enkidu made a raft of it. The Ottoman Empire used the wood to build railways.

Resin/Oil
Cedar resin (cedria) and cedar essential oil (cedrum) are extracted from the wood and cones and have various uses, including the preservation of papyrus (juniper oil was used in the same way).

Protected Status
In Sumerian mythology, these trees were protected by gods, demigods, and monsters before being torn down by humans. Though they once covered Mount Lebanon, the demand was great, and the stripping of the trees was seen as a problem even in ancient times. Under Roman rule, Emperor Hadrian had to claim the forests were an imperial domain to halt the destruction of the forests.

Medical
We are not a medical website, do not take health advice from us.

In the Bible, Moses bid the Hebrew priests to treat lepers with the bark of Lebanon cedar.

Not dissimilar to this.

Compiler Notes

  • The history of the ancient grove of the “Cedars of God” presents an exciting development through the eyes of modern fantasy convention. This is an ideal place for the activity of nature mystics known for the veneration of sacred groves (druids, for lack of a better term). The economic significance of the material and the desire of the powers that be to preserve the trees make strange bedfellows of the druids and imperial authorities. Are the druids a client population dependent wholly on the goodwill of semi-secular temporal authority, or is the relationship reciprocal? Do the druids maintain this relationship with services only they can provide? What service might the druids render Caesar? (Yes, we’re being deliberate with that language.)
  • In instances where people are pleading directly with the gods as persons (meaning they are conversing with tangible immortals occupying the same environment), they might plead about how helpless and harmless they are to the gods. The gods might then point to the cedar groves and rebuke humans for tearing down all that is greater than themselves and cannibalizing the divine.
  • As with other cedars, the resinous wood of the Lebanon cedar is suitable for shipbuilding. If the wood is sacred, it may also lend supernatural properties to the boat.
  • Cedar oil might help preserve spellwork and wards like it was used to preserve papyrus.
  • Cedar oil might be recast as a symbol of vanity and decadence, as peacock feathers have from their high role as a solar emblem.

Image Refs

[Img 06 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Libanonzeder.jpg ]

[Img 07 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Male_cone_of_Cedar_of_Lebanon.JPG ]

[Img 08 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Terracotta_mask_of_Humbaba_(Huwawa)._From_Ur,_Iraq._Old-Babylonian_period_2004-1595_BCE._Sulaymaniyah_Museum,_Iraq.jpg ]

[Img 09 - https://zaksjerusalemgifts.com/healing-cedar-lebanon-anointing-oil-250ml.html ]

Cedrus deodara, Manali Wildlife Sanctuary, Himaschal Pradesh, India.
From PabloEvans on Flickr.

Names: 

  • Himalayan Cedar
  • Deodar
  • Deodar Cedar
  • Devadara [Kannada]
  • Devadarum [Sanskrit]
  • Devadāru [Sanskrit]
  • Devdar [Hindi]
  • Diwali [Kashmiri]
  • Diyār [Urdu]
  • Diyodar [Turkish]
  • Himalaja-Zeder [German]
  • Himalayan Cedar
  • Himalayan Deodar Cedar
  • Himalájská Cedr [Czech]
  • Himalájai Cédrus [Hungarian]
  • Himalayaceder [Danish/Dutch]
  • Himalayazeder [German]
  • Kelon [Hindi/Kashmiri]
  • Kelu [Nepali]
  • Sapin De l'Himalaya [French]
  • Sarol [Punjabi]
  • Thelipathi [Telugu]
  • Tsedar [Pushto]

Distribution: 

  • Asia, South: Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Pakistan
  • Asia, Central: Tibet

Biome: Alpine

Physical Description
Deodar cedar is a large evergreen tree 40-50m (131-164ft) tall, occasionally up to 60m (197ft), with a trunk up to 3m (10ft) in diameter. Grows at altitudes 1,500-3,200m (5,000-10,000ft). 

Wood is used in construction due to its durability, rot resistance, and fine, close grain, which polishes well. It is preferred in the construction of temples and surrounding structures. Shockingly, the wood is not strong, so it is poor for furniture and other, more delicate shapes.

Cedrus deodara female cone, Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany.
Own work -- AnRo0002.

Bark Properties: Astringent.

Wood Properties: Resinous, insect-repellent

Symbolism
Wood of the Gods
The English common name, deodar, is derived from the Sanskrit devadāru, meaning “wood of the gods.”

Culture

Food Preservation
Oil is used in northern India to preserve meat and grains.

Cleaning Supplies
The oil is often used in soaps, sprays, floor polishes, and insecticides.

Boats
Favored wood in the houseboats that characterize Srinagar, Kashmir.

Medical
We are not a medical website, do not take health advice from us.

Used in Ayurvedic medicine. The bark and the stem are astringent.

Inner wood is distilled into essential oils and applied to the feet of beasts of burden and cattle to drive away parasites.


Compiler Notes

  • The use of the oil to drive parasites away from beasts of burden also suggests it elevates the beast spiritually (as oil from “wood of the gods”). This oil would likely be helpful in abjuration against possessing spirits (a form of parasite), or in the breaking of curses.

Image Refs

[Img 10 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cedrus_deodara_Manali_2.jpg ]

[Img 11 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:20130903Cedrus_deodara2.jpg ]

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Family: Pinaceae
Species: Cryptomeria japonica

Cryptomeria forest in the Hauts de Saint-Gilles, Reunion Island.
Presumably by user Thierry Caro.

Names: 

  • Japanese Cedar
  • Dhuppi [Nepali]
  • Dhuppi Salla [Nepali]
  • Gannen Sugi [Japanese]
  • Hanasu [Japanese]
  • Japanese Red Cedar
  • Japanese Redwood
  • Japanese Sugi
  • Japanische Sicheltanne [German]
  • Japanische Zeder [German]
  • Japanska Kryptomeria [Swedish]
  • Japansk Ceder [Danish]
  • Japansk Kryptomeria [Norwegian]
  • Japonski Cedr [Polish]
  • Japonský Cedr [Czech]
  • Jasugi [Japanese]
  • Katle Salla [Nepali]
  • Kouchi [Japanese]
  • Kryptomeria [Polish]
  • Kryptomerie [German]
  • Kusamaki [Japanese]
  • Peacock Pine
  • Rijin Sugi [Japanese]
  • Sichuan Cedar
  • Stinocyprys [Greek]
  • Sugi [Japanese]
  • Sugi No Ki [Japanese]
  • Sugiboku [Japanese]
  • Sugilox [Japanese]
  • Sugui [Korean]
  • Taiwan Cedar

Distribution: 

  • Asia, East: Japan (Cultivated in China and India)

Physical Description
Japanese cedar is a large evergreen tree that grows up to 70m (230ft) tall and 4m (13ft) in diameter. The timber is extremely fragrant, weather-resistant, insect-resistant, soft, and low-density. It is reddish-pink in color, strong despite being lightweight, and waterproof. It is desired for all kinds of construction.

It has been cultivated in China for so long that many think it is native. It is also grown in India, in Darjeeling and Sikkim, where it is called Dhuppi.

Culture
This is the national tree of Japan, planted around temples and shrines.

Wood
The timber is easy to saw and season. It is used in staves, tubs, casks, furniture, and many other indoor applications. It is especially favored for light construction, boxes, and veneers. The wood is occasionally buried, where it turns a dark green, which is greatly valued.

The Japanese coppice the wood through a technique called daisugi, which ensures a straight trunk.

Cedar Avenue of Nikkō
At the funeral of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, a daimyo was too poor to afford a stone lantern for memorial tribute. He instead suggested that he be permitted a substitution: that he be allowed to plant an avenue of sugi trees, so that “future visitors might be protected from the heat of the sun.” This avenue of sugi trees still exists and is over 65km (40mi) long.

A portion of the avenue, as of May 2013.
From 690 Noda on panoramio.

Jōmon Sugi
The Jōmon Sugi is an ancient sugi tree named for the Jōmon period of Japanese prehistory. The tree is estimated at least 2,170 years old and maybe up to 7,200 years old! Its height is 25.3 m (83 ft), with a trunk 5.2 m (17 ft) in diameter.

The Jōmon Sugi, Yakushima, Kogashima Prefecture, Japan.
Own work -- Σ64.

Compiler Notes

  • Following from the story of Tokugawa’s funerary tribute, the sugi becomes an emblem of humility and thoughtfulness. The best gifts are not always the most expensive. The stone lanterns are emblems of the five elements of Buddhist cosmology, petitioning for the enlightenment of Ieyasu and his passing from the cycle of reincarnation and suffering. Conversely, the cedars mind the personal comfort of future petitioners, ensuring the flow of prayers well into the future. 

Image Refs

[Img 12 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cryptomeria-Saint-Gilles.jpg ]

[Img 13 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%E6%97%A5%E5%85%89%E6%9D%89%E4%B8%A6%E6%9C%A8%E8%A1%97%E9%81%93_20130522_-_panoramio.jpg ]

[Img 14 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jomon_Sugi_07.jpg ]

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See Also:

* * * * * * *

-Drury, N. (2004). The dictionary of the esoteric: 3000 entries on the mystical and occult traditions. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. 

-Drury, N. (2005). The Watkins Dictionary of Magic: 3000 entries on the magical traditions. Watkins. 

-Greenaway, Kate. Language of Flowers. George Routleage and Sons. 

-Skinner, Charles M. “Myths and Legends of Flowers, Trees, Fruits, and Plants : In All Ages and in All Climes : Skinner, Charles M. (Charles Montgomery), 1852-1907 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott Co., 1 Jan. 1970, https://archive.org/details/mythslegendsoffl00skin. 

-Tresidder, J. (2008). The Watkins Dictionary of Symbols. Watkins. 

( https://powo.science.kew.org/ )
( https://www.secretflowerlanguage.com/ ) — Defunct
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