Cedar of Lebanon Seeds

Back in stock! A mature cedar of Lebanon is a stately and picturesque evergreen conifer. It has a massive (sometimes forked) trunk, very wide-spreading horizontal branches (the lower ones often kissing the ground), and a crown of flat tiers, like table tops.
Although it can get more than 100' tall with an equal spread from its strong limbs, most specimens in cultivation can be expected to top out around 50-70'. In youth the tree is conical and symmetrical. The leaves, about an inch long, are stiff and 4-angled, and arranged in dense clusters on short shoots. The cones are barrel shaped, 3-5" long and held erect, a characteristic of the true cedars (genus Cedrus).
Cedar of Lebanon is very similar to (and very closely related to) Atlas cedar (C. atlantica), and some authorities consider them to be just subspecies in the same species. Michael Dirr, the famous authority on landscape trees from the University of Georgia, says Atlas cedar has a taller, less flattened crown, less densely arranged branchlets, and smaller cones (2-3" long) than cedar of Lebanon.

Location: Cedar of Lebanon is named for the famous forests that grow in Lebanon. The species also occurs in Turkey and Syria. Var. stenocoma is native to southern Turkey.
Culture: The cedars grow well in acidic sands and in thin soils over limestone; pH doesn't matter. Good drainage is essential, however. Cedar of Lebanon has a tendency to produce multiple leaders and the grower may wish to prune out the weaker shoots; do this in autumn. These are slow growing trees.
Light: Young trees can grow in partial shade but will eventually need full sun to realize their potential.
Moisture: Cedar of Lebanon occurs naturally where there is very little summer rainfall, and is quite tolerant of drought. It can thrive where annual precipitation is no more than 15", but it also does well where 80" of annual precipitation is the norm.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 6 - 9.
Usage: The cedars make majestic specimen trees for parks, estates and larger lawns. A mature cedar of Lebanon, especially one with multiple leaders, will be as wide as it is tall, and a truly picturesque specimen.
Features: The taxonomy of the genus Cedrus is debated by the botanists. Depending on who you believe, you can recognize one, two or four species. The splitters recognize Cyprus cedar (Cedrus brevifolia), cedar of Lebanon, deodar cedar (C. deodar), and Atlas cedar. Germination: 30-50%.