Cedrus libani - Cedar of Lebanon

Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Pinopsida - Order: Pinales - Family: Pinaceae

The shelf-like branches of this beautiful evergreen make it very distinctive. An introduction from the Mediterranean and northern India in the seventeenth century, Cedrus libani was frequently planted in churchyards and large gardens.

The barrel-shaped cones are up to 15 cm long and take two years to ripen. When the thin scales fall away from a cone a slim central 'candle' is left on the tree.