How do you recognise Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara)?

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David J. Stang, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Deodar cedar

Cedrus deodara (Roxb. ex D.Don) G.Don

Also known as: Deodar, Himalayan cedar

Family: Pinaceae

25 to 40 m tall

Planted as a specimen tree in large parks for its characteristic weeping habit

Flowering: October – November

Full sun

Hardy to about -15°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

It can be told apart from its cousin the Atlas cedar by its often nodding or weeping crown and drooping branchlets. The Atlas cedar has stiff, upright branchlets, often silvery blue, whereas the deodar cedar has a recognisable weeping habit, with a supple leading shoot that droops.

🍃 Leaves

Evergreen, fine supple needles in tufts, bluish green, longer than those of the Atlas cedar

🌸 Flowers

Upright male cones, releasing pollen in autumn

🍎 Fruits

Upright, barrel-shaped female cones, breaking up on the tree when ripe

🪵 Bark

Grey to dark brown, fissured into scales

🗺️ Distribution

Native to the western Himalaya (Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal)

✂️ Horticultural uses

Planted as a specimen in large parks for its elegant habit, with a leading shoot that is often drooping, and its weeping branchlets

⚠️ Look-alike species

Deodar cedar

Cedrus deodara

Atlas cedar

Cedrus atlantica

The Atlas cedar has stiff, upright branchlets, often silvery blue, whereas the deodar cedar has a recognisable weeping habit, with a supple leading shoot that droops.

Deodar cedar

Cedrus deodara

Cedar of Lebanon

Cedrus libani

At maturity the cedar of Lebanon has stiff branches spreading in very flat horizontal tiers, whereas the deodar cedar has a supple habit, with branchlets and a leading shoot that clearly droop.

🌿 Other Pinaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.