2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Short-coniferous cedar (lat. Cedrus brevifolia) - one of the plant species of the genus Cedar (lat. Cedrus) of the family Pine (lat. Pinaceae). A number of botanists consider this species to be just a subspecies of Lebanese cedar, and therefore such a variant can be found in the literature. But, since not all botanists agree with this opinion, we will look at the short-coniferous cedar, as an independent species of the small-numbered genus Cedar. The homeland of the short-coniferous cedar is the island of Cyprus, the only place on the planet where in the wild nature of the mountainous terrain you can find powerful trees of this species with coniferous foliage. Therefore, the tree has an alternative name - "Cypriot cedar".
Description
The place of residence of Cedar coniferous is limited not only by the island of Cyprus, but also by only one valley, which is called the “Valley of Cedars”. This is the so-called Paphos forest of the Tripilos nature reserve, one of the tourist attractions in Cyprus.
Although some botanists consider the Cypriot cedar a subspecies of the Lebanese cedar, it is inferior to it in its size. The average height of adult evergreen trees is limited to 12 (twelve) meters, although some individuals can be found growing up to 30 (thirty) meters in height. The relatively low trunk reaches two meters in diameter.
Powerful horizontal branches have a slight slope to the surface of the earth, giving the pyramidal crown of the tree in its youth the appearance of a huge umbrella. The gray-brown bark is visible under sweeping wide branches covered with a thick carpet of needle-like needles.
“Short-coniferous” Cedar was named for the length of its needles, which ranges from 5 (five) -8 (eight) millimeters to 12 (twelve) millimeters, which is rare. The color of the needles is gray-blue-green. Needles do not like loneliness, gathering in a cute fluffy bun.
Blossoming of short-coniferous cedar falls in the first autumn months. At this time, the pale brown color of male cones and the reddish color of female cones are added to the gray-green color of the needles, which, after pollination, ripen in about a year, releasing winged seeds, for the time being hiding behind protective scales. The maximum length of cylindrical-oval cones is 7 (seven) centimeters.
Cypriot cedar is a rather unpretentious plant that lives on mountain slopes, starting from an elevation of 400 (four hundred) meters above sea level and above. Although the short-coniferous cedar is inferior in longevity to the Lebanese and Himalayan Cedars, which can live for a thousand years or more, nevertheless, their life expectancy is respectable, estimated at hundreds of years.
Advantages of the Cyprus Cedar
The strong appearance of a tree with dense fluffy needles is very decorative, and therefore suitable for decorating parks and gardens. Tours are organized in the Cypriot Valley of Cedars, demonstrating the natural beauty of a tree that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
But not only external beauty attracts people's attention to the Cedar. The spicy scent of the resin impregnating the tree trunk is so strong that insects that love to parasitize plants bypass the Cypriot side of the Cedar, allowing its wood to remain intact and strong. Cedar twigs, placed in a wardrobe, will protect clothes from gluttonous moths. In the old days, cedar wood was widely used by people for construction work.
The aroma of the cedar forest is a real life-giving force that cleans the respiratory organs of a person, giving vital energy to the human body.
Cypriot Cedar Vulnerability
The fact that this type of Cedar grows only in one place on the planet makes the tree easily vulnerable to natural elements, for example, to fires or sudden climatic changes. Today, measures are being taken to protect the Cedar Forest in Cyprus in order to preserve this heritage of the flora for descendants and our unique planet.
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