By analogy with the closely related Siberian cedar (Siberian cedar pine), in Russian it has long been called cedar, although in fact both of these trees belong to the genus Pine, not Cedar, that is, they are closer relatives of Scots pine than of true cedars - Lebanese, Atlas and Himalayan.
Distribution and ecology
The range of the species is divided into two areas. The larger area extends from the southern regions of France to the eastern regions of the Alps, in the north it reaches Lake Geneva. The second and smaller area is located in the High Tatras and Carpathians.
It grows in the mountains at altitudes from 1,300 to 2,500 meters, preferring altitudes from 1,500 to 2,000 meters. In the northern regions, it prefers southern and south-eastern slopes. The plant is shade-tolerant, considered the most frost-resistant among pines (withstands up to -43° C) [source not specified 144 days], demanding of air and soil humidity, grows well only on moderately moist and fresh clay soils.
Botanical description
In morphological features, it is close to the Siberian cedar pine, from which it differs in its smaller growth and wider, ovoid crown, longer and thinner needles and smaller cones and seeds.
The tree is 10-25 m high and the trunk diameter is up to 1.5 meters.
Needles are 5-9 cm long and about 1 mm wide, collected in bunches of 5 pieces.
Cones are 4-8 cm long, 6-7 mm wide; seeds are 8-12 mm long, the wing is small. There are about 4,000 seeds in 1 kg. At a young age, the tree has a straight trunk and a thin crown, with age the trunk and branches become curved, taking on bizarre shapes.
Application
The wood is considered more durable than that of the Siberian cedar. It is rarely used in landscape gardening, although due to its decorative qualities it can be successfully used in single and group plantings in forest parks, where it combines perfectly with birches. In addition, it is good in complex compositions with hemlocks, larches, junipers, oaks, rowans, rhododendrons, lespedeza, hollies, [[cherry laurel]s], etc. It has been in culture for a very long time.
The wood has a beautiful pattern and is widely used for interior paneling and in decorative crafts.
