Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani)

The first Cedar of Lebanon planted at Spring Grove died from lack of cold hardiness. Arnold Arboretum sent 19 cuttings of Cedrus libani collected from northern range specimens in the Taurus Mountains that have greater cold hardiness. That was in 1930, giving Spring Grove a collection of these cedars that will not likely be superseded in state champion status for quite some time. The oldest recorded specimen in the Lebanon population was 3,000-years. Our Cedar of Lebanon population has yet to produce the horizontal habit characterized on Lebanon’s national flag. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists Cedrus libani var. libani as Vulnerable not recognizing the northern variety, Cedrus libani var. Stenocoma. Measurements for this cedar were 122-inches on circumference, 64-feet in height, 46-feet in crown spread and 197-points. It is conveniently located along the road west of Willow Water Lake next to the state champion Dawn Redwood in Section 18.