Cedrus deodara Deodar

Deodar, Cedrus deodara, is one of three cedars that is grown in Britain. It is native to the western Himalaya where it grows in montane and subalpine forests, sometimes forming extensive, pure stands. It is also known as Himalayan Cedar. Mature trees can be as much as 75m tall and the Hindi name Deodar(a), which means tree of the gods, is a reference to the great stature it attains in Himalayan forrests. It is quite distinctive with its green needles up to 5cm in length and drooping branches, compared to Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica) whose leaves are often more silvery-grey and rarely exceed 2.5cm. Female cones resemble those of Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus lebani), but they are often scarce or absent on trees which otherwise produce large amounts of male cones that eventually fall off and litter the ground beneath the tree. It exhibits vigorous growth in the climate of south Wales and becomes a tall, impressive tree after 40 years. It is found frequently in parks and large gardens in West Glamorgan but does not regenerate and naturalise here.