Atlas Cedar
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| Cedrus atlantica (Endl.) Carrière |
Atlas Cedar is a large cedar tree native to the Atlas mountains of Algeria and Morocco. The botanic name is either Cedrus atlantica or Cedrus libani v. atlantica, depending on authority. The former name is in widespread use.
It forms a large tree, up to 40m (130ft) high, with trunks of girth of 8 meters (25ft) or more. It forms forests on mountain sides in its native lands, often in monospecific stands. It is similar in many characteristics to the Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani); notable differences are that foliage is more downy, and there are more leaves in each whorl. In addition, many of the wild stands have trees with glaucous (blueish) foliage, and young trees have a clearly conical crown with ascending branches.
It is common in cultivation in temperate climates. In garden settings it is often planted as the glaucous forms. The glaucous forms may be described as either v. glauca, or it may be considered a cultivar Glauca. There are also fastigiate, pendulous, and golden-leaf forms in cultivation. It is useful in cultivation because it is more tolerant of dry and hot conditions than most conifers.
[edit] Gallery
 Trunk |
 Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca' |
 A branch of Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca' |
 The needles of Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca' |
 A sprig showing a young cone of Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca' |
 Another sprig showing an older, dried cone of Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca' |
[edit] References
- European Garden Flora – Volume 1, 1986.
- Collins Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe (Mitchell).
- [1] - Gymnosperm database.
