  Cone and foliage of an ornamental specimen in Seattle [Dr. Linda B. Brubaker].
| Cedrus deodara (D. Don.) G. Don.Common NamesDeodar, Himalaya cedar (4).Taxonomic notesSyn: C. indica Chambray; Cedrus libani var. deodara Hook. (4).Description"A tree up to 50 m high and up to 3 m in diameter. Crown conical when young, with drooping leader and branches drooping at the end (Fig. 67), older trees rounded. Branches horizontally arranged, and end of the shoots pendulous. One-year shoots densely pubescent. Needles blue-green, about 30 in a cluster, 3-5 cm long, acuminate. Flowers appear in September and October. Cones solitary or in pairs. ovate or barrel-shaped. 7-10 cm long, 5-6 cm wide, rounded at the apex, bluish when young, reddish-brown when ripe; maturing from September to November; the seed is shed from September to December; seed scales 5-6 cm wide, usually glabrous on the upper side. Seed about 17 mm long, about 6 mm wide; wing large, light brown" (4).RangeIndia and Pakistan: W Himal and S slopes of the Hindu Kush (1, 2, 3) at 1100-3000 m, "usually on silicate mother rocks. It is often associated with Pinus wallichiana and Abies pindrow. The best trees are found on deep, well-drained soils. High atmospheric moisture is favourable. It is tolerant to shade, but young trees are prone to injury from frosts and cold wind" (4).Big TreeI have no data on trees in habitat. A specimen at Via A. Rossi, Veneto, Piovene Rocchette, Italy has a 279 cm dbh and is 26 m tall. Another at parco del Castello, Piemonte, Italy is 45 m tall with a dbh of 177 cm (5).OldestDendrochronologyEthnobotanyIs an important timber tree in India (2). In the West, is widely planted as an ornamental in Europe (4) and the western U.S.ObservationsWidely planted as an ornamental in the Seattle area. Have cones and foliage in collection.RemarksCitations(1) Silba 1986.(2) "Cedar," Encarta 97. (3) Vladimir Dinets, e-mail communication, 2-Jan-1998. (4) Vidakovic 1991. (5) CORPO FORESTALE DELLA STATO, a listing of big trees in Italy. See also: Little 1980. |
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