Cedar
Scientific Name: Cedrela odorata
Climate: Mountainous, warm humid with a 3 to 4-month dry season
Plant description: Cedar is a coniferous tree that can grow as much as 50 meters tall, the stem is thick in a pyramidal shape. The leaves are evergreen needles that are 4 cm long. The bark is gray-brown and the top of the tree is pointy and sharp when young. The branches grow horizontally. The flowers are small with an unpleasant smell. The fruit is conical and full of aerodynamic winged seeds.
Cedar is native to the Middle East, Himalayas and North Africa. There are 4 species of cedar:
Himalaya cedar is the biggest and can reach up to 70m tall, Lebanon and Cyprus cedars can grow up to 20 meters tall, the Atlas cedar grows 30 meter tall.
There are cedar species naturalized to the Americas growing in humid forests in Mexico, Central America, the Antilles and Brazil.
Cedars can live more than 2,000 years.
Cultivation: Soil must be deep, fresh and with good drainage, it will grow in clayey and calcareous soils.
The seeds must be soaked overnight, sun dried, and kept in a plastic bag in the fridge for 2 to 3 months at 4°C, then plow the seeds in a tray with organic matter from 2.4 to 5 cm deep and leave to indirect bright light, water daily until the seedlings grow.
In the Spring they can be left outside until they grow up to 30 cm when they are ready to be transplanted.
Uses: Cedar wood is treasured because it is light, strong, fragrant, insect resistant, stable and highly workable. The wood contains a natural resin that prevents fungi and insect infestation.
Cedar wood has been used for thousands of years, for building, fine furniture, musical instruments, coffins, boats, and various arts and crafts.
As a remedy, the roots and bark are used in infusions to relieve bronchial infections, cold, diarrhea, indigestion, fever, vomit, bleeding and epilepsy.
Plagues and diseases: The mahogany shoot borer (Hypsipyla grandella) can damage new shoots.
References:
D’Alessandro, M. (2016, October 10). El cedro. Flores. https://www.flores.ninja/el-cedro/
EcuRed. (n.d.). Cedro - EcuRed. Retrieved June 27, 2020, from https://www.ecured.cu/Cedro
Madera de Cedro: Características y Principales Usos. (2019, December 11). Maderame. https://maderame.com/enciclopedia-madera/cedro/
Wikipedia contributors. (2020, May 17). Cedrus. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedrus
En español: Cedro