Cedar is part of the English common name of many trees and other plants, particularly those of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Cedrus ''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, is a genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae (subfamily Abietoideae). They are native plant, native to the mountains of the western Himalayas and the Mediterranean region, occurring at altit ...

''. Some botanical authorities consider the Old-World ''Cedrus'' the only "true cedars". Many other species worldwide with similarly aromatic wood, including several species of genera ''

Calocedrus ''Calocedrus'', the incense cedar (alternatively spelled incense-cedar), is a genus of coniferous trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae first described as a genus in 1873. It is native to eastern Asia and western North America. The generic n ...

'', ''

Thuja ''Thuja'' ( ) is a genus of coniferous tree or shrub in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia. The genus is monophyletic and sister to ''Thujopsis''. M ...

'', and ''

Chamaecyparis ''Chamaecyparis'', common names cypress or false cypress (to distinguish it from related cypresses), is a genus of conifers in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to eastern Asia (Japan and Taiwan) and to the western and eastern margins of th ...

'' in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

of North America, are referred to as "false cedars". Plants called "cedar" include:

Family Pinaceae

*''

'', common English name cedar, a genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae **

Lebanon cedar ''Cedrus libani'', the cedar of Lebanon or Lebanese cedar (), is a species of tree in the genus cedrus, a part of the pine family, native to the mountains of the Eastern Mediterranean basin. It is a large evergreen conifer that has great religi ...

, ''Cedrus libani'', a cedar native to Lebanon, western Syria and south-central Turkey **

Atlas cedar ''Cedrus atlantica'', the Atlas cedar, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae, native to the Rif and Atlas Mountains of Morocco (Middle Atlas, High Atlas), and to the Tell Atlas in Algeria.Gaussen, H. (1964). Genre ''Cedrus''. Les F ...

, ''Cedrus atlantica'', a cedar native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria **

Deodar cedar ''Cedrus deodara'', the deodar cedar, Himalayan cedar, or deodar, is a species of cedar native to the Himalayas. Description It is a large evergreen coniferous tree reaching tall, exceptionally with a trunk up to in diameter. It has a conic c ...

, ''Cedrus deodara'', a cedar native to the western Himalayas ** Cyprus cedar, ''Cedrus brevifolia'', found in the island of Cyprus's Cedar Valley in the Troodos Mountains *

Siberian pine ''Pinus sibirica'', or Siberian pine, in the family Pinaceae is a species of pine tree that occurs in Siberia from 58°E in the Ural Mountains east to 126°E in the Stanovoy Range in southern Sakha Republic, and from Igarka at 68°N in the lower ...

(''Pinus sibirica''), occasionally erroneously referred to as Siberian cedar

Family Cupressaceae

Atlantic white cedar ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' (Atlantic white cedar, Atlantic white cypress, southern white cedar, whitecedar, or false-cypress), a species of ''Cupressaceae'', is native to the Atlantic coast of North America and is found from southern Maine to Geo ...

, ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' *

Bermuda cedar ''Juniperus bermudiana'' is a species of juniper endemic to Bermuda. This species is most commonly known as Bermuda cedar, but is also referred to as Bermuda juniper (Bermudians refer to it simply as ''cedar''). Historically, this tree formed wo ...

, ''Juniperus bermudiana'', a species of juniper endemic to Bermuda *

Chilean cedar ''Austrocedrus'' is a genus of Pinophyta, conifer belonging to the cypress family (Cupressaceae). It has only one species, ''Austrocedrus chilensis'', native to the Valdivian temperate rain forests and the adjacent drier steppe-forests of central ...

, ''Austrocedrus chilensis'' *Chinese cedarwood oil comes from ''

Cupressus funebris ''Cupressus funebris'', the Chinese weeping cypress, is a species of cypress native to southwestern and central China. It may also occur naturally in Vietnam. Description ''Cupressus funebris'' is a medium-sized coniferous tree growing to 20� ...

'', the Chinese weeping cypress *

Clanwilliam cedar ''Widdringtonia wallichii'', Clanwilliam cedar or Clanwilliam cypress, previously ''Widdringtonia cedarbergensis'' is a species of ''Widdringtonia'' native to South Africa, where it is endemism, endemic to the Cederberg, Cederberg Mountains nort ...

, ''Widdringtonia cedarbergensis'', a species of cypress endemic to the Cederberg mountains of South Africa *

Eastern red cedar ''Juniperus virginiana'', also known as red cedar, eastern red cedar, Virginian juniper, eastern juniper, red juniper, and other local names, is a species of juniper native to eastern North America from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico a ...

, ''Juniperus virginiana'', a species of juniper native to eastern North America *

Eastern white cedar ''Thuja occidentalis'', also known as northern white-cedar, eastern white-cedar, or arborvitae, is an evergreen coniferous tree, in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is native to eastern Canada and much of the north-central and northeaste ...

, also northern white cedar, ''Thuja occidentalis'', native to eastern North America. *''

'', the incense cedars, a genus native to western North America, Eastern Asia *Japanese cedar, ''

Cryptomeria japonica ''Cryptomeria'' (literally "hidden parts") is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae, formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae. It includes only one species, ''Cryptomeria japonica'' ( syn. ''Cupressus japonica'' L ...

''; known as 杉 (''Sugi'') in Japanese *, es, cedro de Canarias, *

Mexican white cedar ''Cupressus lusitanica'', the Mexican cedar or cedar-of-Goa, is a species of cypress native to Mexico and Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras). It has also been introduced to Belize, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, growing at altitu ...

, ''Cupressus lusitanica'', a species of cypress native to Mexico and Central America *

Mountain cedar ''Juniperus ashei'' (Ashe juniper, mountain cedar, blueberry juniper, post cedar, or just cedar) is a drought-tolerant evergreen tree, native from northeastern Mexico and the south-central United States to southern Missouri. The largest areas are ...

, source of Texas cedarwood oil, ''Juniperus ashei'', an evergreen shrub native to northeastern Mexico and the south central United States *

New Zealand cedar ''Libocedrus'' is a genus of five species of coniferous trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to New Zealand and New Caledonia. The genus is closely related to the South American genera ''Pilgerodendron'' and ''Austrocedrus'', and the ...

, ''Libocedrus bidwillii'' *Persian cedar, ''

Cupressus sempervirens ''Cupressus sempervirens'', the Mediterranean cypress (also known as Italian cypress, Tuscan cypress, Persian cypress, or pencil pine), is a species of cypress native to the eastern Mediterranean region, in northeast Libya, southern Albania, sou ...

'' *Port Orford-cedar, ''

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ''Chamaecyparis lawsoniana'', known as Port Orford cedar or Lawson cypress, is a species of conifer in the genus ''Chamaecyparis'', family Cupressaceae. It is native to Oregon and northwestern California, and grows from sea level up to in the v ...

'', or Lawson cypress, California, Oregon *Prickly cedar, sharp cedar, ''

Juniperus oxycedrus ''Juniperus oxycedrus'', vernacularly called Cade, cade juniper, prickly juniper, prickly cedar, or sharp cedar, is a species of juniper, native across the Mediterranean region from Algeria and Portugal, north to southern France, east to westernm ...

'', native to the Mediterranean region *Western red cedar, ''

Thuja plicata ''Thuja plicata'' is an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to western North America. Its common name is western redcedar (western red cedar in the UK), and it is also called Pacific redcedar, giant arborvitae, w ...

'', a cypress of the Pacific northwest *Yellow cedar, ''

Cupressus nootkatensis ''Callitropsis nootkatensis'', formerly known as ''Cupressus nootkatensis'' ( syn. ''Xanthocyparis nootkatensis'') is a species of trees in the cypress family native to the coastal regions of northwestern North America. This species goes by many ...

'', also called Alaska cedar

Family Meliaceae

*Spanish cedar, ''

Cedrela odorata ''Cedrela odorata'' is a commercially important species of tree in the chinaberry family, Meliaceae, commonly known as Spanish cedar or Cuban cedar; it is also known as cedro in Spanish. Classification The genus ''Cedrela'' has undergone two m ...

'' *Cigar-box cedar, ''

Cedrela ''Cedrela'' is a genus of several species in the mahogany family, Meliaceae. They are evergreen or dry-season deciduous trees with pinnate leaves, native to the tropical and subtropical New World, from southern Mexico south to northern Argen ...

'' *Australian red cedar, ''

Toona ciliata ''Toona ciliata'' is a forest tree in the mahogany family which grows throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. Names It is commonly known as the red cedar (a name shared by other trees), toon or toona (also ...

'' * Ceylon cedar or ''Melia azedarach'', a species of deciduous tree native to India, southern China and Australia

Other families

*Bay cedar, ''

Suriana ''Suriana'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants containing only ''Suriana maritima'', which is commonly known as bay cedar. Distribution It has a pantropical distribution and can be found on coasts in the New and Old World tropics. Descri ...

'' (Surianaceae) *Running cedar or ground cedar, various species of clubmosses (Lycopodiopsida) in the genus ''

Diphasiastrum ''Diphasiastrum'' is a genus of clubmosses in the plant family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. It is closely related to the genus '' Lycopodium'' ...

'' *Saltcedar, ''

Tamarix The genus ''Tamarix'' (tamarisk, salt cedar, taray) is composed of about 50–60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. The generic name originated in Latin and may refer to the Tam ...

'' (Caryophyllaceae) *Stinking cedar, ''

Torreya taxifolia ''Torreya taxifolia'', commonly known as Florida torreya or stinking-cedar, but also sometimes as Florida nutmeg or gopher wood, is an endangered subcanopy tree of the yew family, Taxaceae. It is native to only a small glacial refugium in the sou ...

'' (Cephalotaxaceae) *Warren River cedar or native cedar, ''

Taxandria juniperina ''Taxandria juniperina'' commonly known as wattie, native cedar, Warren River cedar or juniper myrtle is a species of tree that grows in the south west corner of Western Australia. This plant was previously classified as ''Agonis juniperina'' bu ...

'' (Myrtaceae) *White cedar, ''

Tabebuia heterophylla ''Tabebuia heterophylla'' is a species of tree native to the Caribbean, and is also cultivated. It is also known as Roble blanco, pink manjack, pink trumpet tree, white cedar, and whitewood. Description ''Tabebuia heterophylla'' grows up to 20 ...

'' (Bignoniaceae)

References

{{Reflist Set index articles on plant common names