Cedar of Lebanon

Cedrus libani Origin: Turkey Improvement status: Wild Seeds per packet: ~12 BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED Life cycle: Perennial Cedar of Lebanon is an iconic evergreen conifer native to Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey (with a close cousin or perhaps subspecies growing in Cyprus). It is such an important symbol in Lebanon that it appears on the country's flag. It's mentioned multiple times in the Hebrew Bible: Moses ordered priests to use the bark of the tree in the treatment of leprosy; Solomon used its timber to build the First Temple in Jerusalem; and in Psalm 92:12 it says, "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon." Mature cedars of Lebanon have become quite rare in Lebanon and Syria due to many centuries of use. Ancient Phoenicians achieved their legendary feats of seafaring in boats made from cedars of Lebanon. Ancient Egyptians so coveted Phoenecians' cedar ships that they buried two disassembled boats beside the Great Pyramid o