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THE GARDEN SAGEA library of living things
Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion

Deodar cedar

Cedrus deodara

Cedrus deodara. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Cedrus deodara. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sunCathy Dewitt ↗ · CC BY 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.

Use a cold-hardy selection on protected lower-elevation sites; winter injury possible in exposed Zone 7a.

Sun Exposure
Full sun
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
40–60
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
25–35
BLOOM SEASON
Spring
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Get to know this plant.

Identification clue 1

Needles in dense short-shoot clusters

Identification clue 2

Often drooping branch tips

Identification clue 3

Large upright barrel-like cones

Read the leaves

Many needles radiate from each short woody spur. This rosette differs from a pine's two-, three-, or five-needle bundle.

More growing details

Read the bark

Gray bark becomes dark and fissured with age.

Fruit & seed

Upright barrel-shaped cones break apart on the tree; full cones are less likely to be found intact below it.

Winter character

Evergreen needle rosettes and pendent leaders support the cedar identification.

Origin & place

An introduced garden species or horticultural hybrid; study it as part of WNC landscapes rather than assume it belongs to the native mountain flora.

Compare with Pines

Pines carry needles in small sheathed bundles; true cedars form many-needle clusters on persistent short shoots.

WNC Notes

Use a cold-hardy selection on protected lower-elevation sites; winter injury possible in exposed Zone 7a.

Sun Exposure

Full sun

MATURE HEIGHT (FT)

40–60

MATURE WIDTH (FT)

25–35

BLOOM SEASON

Spring

BLOOM COLOR

Inconspicuous

FALL / WINTER COLOR

Evergreen

Wet-Soil Tolerance

High

Drought Tolerance

Low

LOOK CLOSELY

Two views, a closer look.

Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.

Cedrus deodara. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Cedrus deodara. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sunCathy Dewitt ↗ · CC BY 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
Upright developing cones of deodar cedar — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
Upright developing cones of deodar cedar — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sunPhoto by Dinesh Valke ↗ · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.

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