Cedrus deodara Seeds | Deodar Cedar
LATIN NAME: Cedrus deodara
COMMON NAME: Deodar Cedar
Plant Profile
Cedrus deodara is the deodar, a true cedar of the western Himalayas, growing up to fifty metres in its native valleys and forming a broad pyramid with a drooping leader and horizontal branches. The needles are pale blue-green, two to five centimetres long, in dense clusters on short shoots.
It grows between 1,500 and 3,000 metres in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal, often in pure stands, and it has been planted across the temperate world as a park tree. The wood is durable, aromatic and straight-grained, and it was used for temples and for railway sleepers. The cones are upright, barrel-shaped and seven to ten centimetres long, and they break up on the tree rather than falling whole.
Science & Biotechnology
The genus has three species, and their separation was settled by anatomy rather than geography: deodar needles are longer and the cones are broader than those of the Lebanon cedar, and the tree is more tolerant of summer rain. DNA work confirms the three as distinct lineages that diverged several million years ago.
Older trees develop a leader that droops at the tip and then turns upward, a habit that is diagnostic in the field. The species is long-lived, with individuals recorded at over a thousand years, and it grows best where winters are cool and summers are wet, unlike the Mediterranean cedars.
Uses & Benefits
The tree is planted for ornament and for shelter, and it is one of the few conifers that looks well in a lawn with the lower branches left on. The wood is used for construction and for furniture in its native range, and the oil is distilled for perfume and for medicine.
In the Himalaya the tree is also important culturally, planted around temples and used for ritual. In a garden, its main drawback is size: a mature specimen is thirty metres wide, and the shade is deep and dry. In its native range the wood is also burned as incense and the oil is used in soaps, and the tree is planted around temples where its drooping habit is read as a gesture of respect.
Growing from Seed
Seed germinates without pretreatment at 15 to 20°C in three to five weeks, but fresh seed is far better than stored. Sow in spring in a free-draining mix, and keep the seedlings in full light to avoid weak, drawn growth.
The tree needs deep soil, space and shelter from wind, which shreds the leading shoot on exposed sites. It tolerates alkaline soil and drought once established, and it is hardy to about minus twenty. Plant small, since large specimens transplant badly, and never cut the leader. A mulch of compost keeps the surface roots cool, since the tree feeds close to the soil surface.
Our Take
A magnificent park conifer for a large site, and a poor choice for a small garden that will be swallowed within twenty years.
Related Reading
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