Sorting out Different Cedars

Someone recently questioned me about the difference between Cedars and I thought that this might be worth sharing on the blog.

It can be a little confusing at times to figure out which cedar tree fits where as what are commonly classed as cedar trees fall into two different Botanical Families, Cupressaceae and Pinacea.

When it comes to classifying the plant the categories are
Family: While there are major differences there is also a distinct pattern of similarity and genetically they have a lot in common.
Genus: First part of the Latin name of a plant – always capitalized.
Species: Second part of the Latin name of a plant – always written lower case.

Belonging to the Cupressaceae Family we have
Virginian Cedarwood – Genus Juniperus – Species virginiana
Texas Cedarwood – Genus Juniperus – Species mexicana

Belonging to the Pinaceae Family we have
Atlas Cedarwood – Genus Cedrus – Species atlantica.

Himalayan Cedarwood is a relatively new addition to aromatherapy however its Latin name (Cedrus deodara) gives you the clue as to which Genus and family it belongs to. It belongs to the Pinaceae Family and the Genus Cedrus and Species deodara.

From the Encylopedia Britannica:

Cupressaceae
The cypress family (order Pinales), 30 genera with 133 species of evergreen ornamental and timber shrubs and trees, distributed throughout the world. The leaves of these plants are opposite or whorled and usually paired or in threes. Adult leaves are narrow, scalelike, and pressed against the branchlets, which themselves are often flattened. Awllike juvenile and transitional leaves are often present on mature trees. The male reproductive structures are borne at the ends of short twigs; the female structures (cones) are terminal, with opposite or whorled scales, consisting of both a fused bract (modified leaf) and a scale. The cones, usually woody, have erect ovules.
Pinaceae.
The pine family of conifers, 11 genera and 210 species of trees (rarely shrubs) native to north temperate regions. Fir (Abies), Keteleeria, Cathaya, Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga), hemlock (Tsuga, with Nothotsuga sometimes segregated), spruce (Picea), golden larch (Pseudolarix), larch, or tamarack (Larix), cedar (Cedrus), and pine (Pinus) contain many species that are sources of timber, paper pulp, oils, and resins. Some are cultivated as ornamentals. Both male and female reproductive structures are borne on the same plant. The needlelike leaves are solitary, in bundles, or on specialized short branches. The pollen-bearing male cones are solitary or clustered and have many spirally arranged scales, each bearing two pollen sacs. The compound, seed-bearing (ovule-bearing) cones also have many spirally arranged scales. Each scale is free from the bract below it and bears two inverted ovules on its upper side. In members of the genus Pinus, the bract tends to become fused to the scale and thus disappears as the cones mature.

Rosemary Caddy in her book "Essential Oils in Colour" says:

The Cupressaceae family generally aids nervous tension, rheumatism and cellulite while the Pinaceae family is highly antiseptic and generally aid respiratory problems.

An example of how the different cedar essential oils might be used can be seen if we look at using them for the Respiratory System: Atlas Cedar has mucolytic properties; Juniperus virginiana has expectorant properties and Atlas cedarwood dries excess phlegm. All the cedars can be used for bronchitis, cough, catarrh, chronic congestion, sinusitis and excess mucus.