Virginia Tech Dendrology

Atlas cedar Pinaceae Cedrus atlantica (Endl.) Manetti ex Carrière symbol:
Leaf: Evergreen needles, blue-green to silvery blue, generally under 1 inch long, occur singly on new growth, but tightly whorled on spur shoots.
Flower: Species is monoecious; male cones 2-3 inches long on lower part of tree; female cones thicker and erect, purplish, borne on top sections of tree.
Fruit: Short, stout upright cones with deciduous scales, 2 1/2 to 3 inches long, 2 inches wide, waxy purplish green while developing, turning brown at maturity, mature over two years.
Twig: Slender, finely hairy, brown with numerous spur shoots, branches droop with age.
Bark: Initially smooth and gray, later darkening and developing fine flat scales.
Form: Medium sized tree to 40 to 60 feet in height, broadly pyramidal crown, develops into a stunning flat-topped tree with horizontal branching.
Looks like: Deodar cedar - cedar of Lebanon - European larch

Additional Range Information: Cedrus atlantica is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: - Horticulture Information
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information