Is Australian red cedar a true cedar?
No it’s not. The true cedars belong to the small genus Cedrus of the family Pinaceae (There are three ‘true cedars’, cedar of Lebanon, Cerus libani; Himalayan or Indian cedar, C. deodara; Atlantic or Atlas cedar, C. Atlantica. All from the pine family.) Cedar is native to the Old World from the Mediterranean to the Himalayas (mountainous semi-desert regions), although several are cultivated elsewhere as ornamentals, especially the cedar of Lebanon ( C. libani ), which appears in the Lebanese flag. This tree, native to Asia Minor and North Africa, is famous for the historic groves of the Lebanon Mts., frequently mentioned in the Bible. The wood used in building the Temple and the house of Solomon (1 Kings 5, 6, and 7) may, however, have been that of the deodar cedar ( C. deodara ), native to the Himalayas. It has fragrant wood, durable and fine grained, and is venerated by the Hindus, who call it Tree of God. The species has also been successfully introduced into some parts of Europe an
