deodara – comes from the plant’s name in Northern India

Native range: W. Himalayas from W. Nepal to Afghanistan

Leaves:

• rigid needles
• densely crowded on short shoots
• ~triangular, pointed
• longer than other cedars (can be up to 2”)
• greenish blue color

Cones:

• monoecious
• upright female cones
• male cones shed in spring, said to resemble Cheetos
• winged seeds
• scales rounded w/ tiny appendix (bract)
• maturing in 2^nd or 3^rd years

Other characteristics:

• tall tree, 150-200 ft.
• evergreen
• spreading branches
• branches more pendulous than other cedars

Ecology & Adaptations:

• forms forests in the drier areas of the Himalayas at 1,800-3,000 m.
• hosts epiphytes (bryophytes, lichens, flowering species)
• drought tolerant
• evergreen leaves permit photosynthesis year-round, despite cold climate
• soluble carbohydrates are used to lower the freezing temperature of leaf tissue
• oils in the wood and seeds protect against bacterial and fungal infection
• winged seeds aid seed dispersal by wind