Erskine’s Quintessential Tree, a True and Noble Cedar….

Written 12/16/24

Wintertime gives our evergreen trees the chance to stand out among a crowd of bare branches on their deciduous neighbors such as oak, maple, and elm. One of Erskine’s most beautiful evergreens is our biblical Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani, growing on the Belk Hall side of McQuiston Hall. This exotic evergreen is a member of the pine family. It demonstrates typical mature growth shape of the Mediterranean native whose silhouette adorns the flag of Lebanon.

Cedar of Lebanon’s needles are about two inches long, arranged in clusters at ends of very short woody pegs, which are in turn attached to larger branches. Male and female cones are produced on the same tree. Male cones are about three inches long and half an inch wide. Female cones are about five to six inches tall and three inches wide, and they sit upright on the branches, a distinctive feature of true cedars. Female cones mature in two years and then fall apart, releasing the seeds which are equipped with delicate membranous wings to aid their dispersal. Remnants of the tips of female cones look like wooden roses and can be found under the trees in the fall. These are often collected for use in dried arrangements and decorations.

Cedars like this one are referenced approximately fifty times in the Bible. Probably the best-known reference is use of cedar to build Solomon’s temple (I Kings 5:6-10), and cedar wood is considered the quintessential “Righteous Wood”! Bible literacy was the norm when North American colonists gave the name “cedar” to many evergreen trees whether or not they were true cedars or even in the same family.

Another popular true cedar is the Deodar or Himalayan Cedar, Cedrus deodara, which you can see along the sidewalk between McQuiston and
Bowie Divinity Hall. A younger recently planted Deodar is growing nicely in grassy area on opposite side of McQuiston closer to Cedar of Lebanon.

These trees are like Cedars of Lebanon, but typically mature trees have a conical (“Christmas tree”) shape. Lebanese cedars are conical when young, but dome-like shape when mature.

In 1938 soon after construction of McQuiston, Erskine’s Seminary Building, two Cedars of Lebanon were planted, one on each side. There are also several other Deodar Cedars planted on Due West properties, including two very large 100+ year old trees along the Bonner street side of the Pressly Botanical Garden.

Deodar Cedar growing between McQuiston Hall and Bowie Divinity Hall, silhouetted in the late afternoon, Feb. 15, 2010.