72 
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 
A CEDAR OF LEBANON,, IN SYRIA 
The cedars of Lebanon have been famous from early times. The original groves men- 
tioned in the Bible have become greatly reduced, and the largest grove now known contains 
only about 400 trees, some of which are evidentlv of great age. The trees are noted for the 
size of their trunks rather than for their height. They differ from most conifers in that 
their branches are wide-spreading. The cones and leaves resemble those of the larch more 
than any other tree, except that the leaves are persistent. It thrives in the United States only 
in the South and in California. 
