Identify the Trees in the Cedar Family
Cedars are evergreen conifers.
Cedars belong to a group of evergreen cone-bearing trees–the genus Cedrus, for example, is native to the Middle East. The word cedar comes from the Latin word cedrus, or “cedar,” which is from an earlier Greek word kedros. It can refer to any of a number of coniferous trees with needle-like leaves that produce cones. The term “cedar” may also be used for other plants with similar characteristics.
The most recognized species are found in North America and are known as Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) and Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis). Other types include the Cyprus cedar (Cedrus), deodar cedarwood (Cedrus deodara), Lebanon cedarwood (Cedrus libani) and Atlas cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica).
Most cedars have a distinctive columnar growth habit.
You can tell many trees in the cedar family because they have a distinctive columnar growth habit. Columnar trees are evergreen conifers that have a narrow, tall shape when grown in full sun. Some species of trees in the cedar family can grow over 100 feet tall, and their growth is usually straight up and down, with short branches all along it. Examples of columnar cedars include Port Orford Cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), and Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana). This characteristic is important for helping you identify these trees when you see them growing in your garden or out in nature.
The wood is typically light to mid-brown in color.
The wood of cedars is typically light to mid-brown in color, and is dense, aromatic and easy to work with. Because of its rot resistance, it has been used in boat building and carpentry for centuries. It is also the preferred wood of the Tlingit people of southeast Alaska, who use it extensively to build their dugout canoes.
Cedar wood has long been used as an aromatic insect repellent in closets and trunks. More recently, cedar oil was found to be a popular cleaning agent as well, making it useful in cosmetics such as perfumes. The oil is also used as a base note in aromatherapy products.
Cedars can grow very tall and some of them can live for many thousands of years.
Cedars are popular ornamental trees and are often used as decorative Christmas trees. Some cedar species can grow to be very tall and some can live for many thousands of years.
The tallest cedar is the Atlantic White Cedar which grows over 50 meters (165 feet) tall, while the largest by volume is the Western Red Cedar which grows up to 30 meters (100 feet) wide, and 500 years old. The heaviest living tree is a Giant Sequoia called General Sherman, weighing in at about 1,000 tons.
Cedar leaves have a characteristic smell which gives the family its name.
The scent is due to the presence of cedrol, a terpenoid compound. Terpenoids are organic compounds that make up the essential oils in plants. Cedrol is a major component of cedar essential oils and gives them their characteristic odor. It’s also used as a flavoring for food, cigarettes, tobacco products and even medicines. Cedrol can be found in many different kinds of trees that have been given names like “cedar.”
Cedars belong to the family Cupressaceae. The best known species are from the genus Cedrus, which includes true cedars including deodara (deodar or deodhar) cedar, atlantic cedar and Atlas cedar. Other members of this family include junipers, cypresses such as cypress white oak and baldcypress, arborvitae aka Thuja spp., callitris aka Australian pine (callitris glaucophylla), chamaecyparis aka false cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), cryptomeria aka Japanese redwood (Cryptomeria japonica), Cupressus sempervirens aka Italian stone pine (Cupressus sempervirens) or Tuscan pine (Cupressus sempervirens).
Other genera include Juniperus californica & JOCO juniper species such as juniper bush
Cedar is well-known as the source of cedarwood oil, used in soaps and perfumes.
Cedar is well-known as the source of cedarwood oil, which is used in soaps and perfumes. Cedarwood oil is extracted from the wood, sawdust and needles of various species of cedar trees. The oil is often added to insect repellents because it repels moths and other insects. Cedarwood oil also has anti-inflammatory properties and can be used to treat skin irritations such as dandruff or acne.
Cedars are a large family of trees that can be identified by their column-like growth and characteristic smell.
- United States Department of Agriculture
- Cedrus, Thuja, Juniperus, Calocedrus and Chamaecyparis are the main genera that make up the cedar family.