Trees Planet: Cedrus atlantica

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

General Information

Common Name	Atlas Cedar
Scientific Name	*Cedrus atlantica*
Sun Tolerance	Full Sun
Height	30 - 35 m (100 - 118 ft)
Spread	15 -20 m (50 - 66 ft)
Growth Rate	Fast
Bloom Time	Spring
Color	Green,
Flower Color	Yellow
Type	Tree
Native	Africa, Asia, Europe.

Classification

Kingdom	Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision	Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division	Coniferophyta – Conifers
Class	Pinopsida
Subclass
Order	Pinales
Family	Pinaceae – Pine family
Genus	Cedrus Carr. – Cedar
Species	C. atlantica

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Cedrus atlantica commonly known as Atlas Cedar. The tree’s native habitat is on the mountains of Algeria and Morocco. It is a large growing evergreen tree that grows 30-35 m (100 – 118 ft) in height with a trunk diameter of 1.5–2 m (5-7 ft). Sometime it grows up to 40 m (131 ft) in height.

The Atlas Cedar differs principally from other Cedars in having an erect leader and ascending ends to the branches. Furthermore, it has a blue-green foliage, and may even be grey; and the cones are usually more numerous and rather smaller and less barrel-shaped.

The trees are conical when young, later developing massive trunks and large, ascending branches. The branch-lets are of two kinds; the long terminal growth shoots with needles scattered around them (‘juvenile’ foliage), and short spur growths with needles in rosettes. The mature needles are about an inch in length, and slightly bluish-green.

Both sexes of flowers are usually found on different branches of the same tree. The male catkins, in regimented rows, are long and erect, dull greyish-green with a purplish bloom, liberating bright yellow pollen in autumn. The females are small, greenish, erect cone-lets, and the resultant erect resinous barrel-shaped green cones do not reach full size until after two years, when they turn brown and ripen within a few months. They then gradually break up, releasing their winged seeds, the central spike of the cne alone remaining.

At first the bark is smooth and grey, but with age becomes brown, furrowed and scaly. The wood has a narrow whitish sapwood and a mid-brown heartwood, and is fairly hard, fragrant, naturally durable, and will work to a fine finish. It is scarce, hence little used commercially.

The variety glauca, a blue form in cultivating, has very pleasing blue or glaucous needles. In its most richly colored form it is one of the most effective of all conifers, but the glaucous tint is an unstable character. It is common in cultivation as an ornamental tree in temperate climates. In garden settings, often the glaucous forms are planted as ornamental trees. There are also fastigiated, pendulous, and golden-leaf forms in cultivation. The Atlas cedar is useful in cultivation because it is more tolerant of dry and hot conditions than most conifers. It was introduced to Britain in 1845 by Lord Somers of Eastnor in Herefordshire. An Atlas cedar is planted at the White House South Lawn in Washington, DC. President Carter ordered a tree house built within the cedar for his daughter Amy.