Cedar of Lebanon

The Qur’ānic name sidr, and sidrat-al-muntahā or ‘the lote tree of the utmost boundary’, alludes to the Cedar of Lebanon’s great height, strength and beauty.

One of the most majestic evergreen trees in South-West Asia, Cedrus libani holds a mystical place in stories and legends, such as the Sumerian poem The Epic of Gilgamesh from ancient Mesopotamia.

The extensive use of cedar wood for building materials and ship building in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia left the once dense forests of the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey and the mountains of Syria and Lebanon largely destroyed.

Painted from specimens found in Eastwoodhill Arboretum and Wellington Botanic Garden, New Zealand.

Grows at Kew in the Arboretum, the Redwood Grove and near Victoria Gate.

Completed painting size:76 x 54cm.
Watercolour on paper