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Portrait of Atlas cedar

Nature · Trees

Atlas cedar

Neophyte (introduced 1840s) · evergreen conifer to 35 m · parks, gardens and churchyards

Cedrus atlantica — Pinaceae

The upright, often steel-blue cedar of parks and gardens, native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria and introduced to Britain in the 1840s. The blue-needled Glauca Group is by far the commonest form. It is listed as Endangered by the IUCN in the wild.

How to know it

Whole tree of Atlas cedar
Whole tree Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova · CC BY-SA 4.0
Leaf of Atlas cedar
Leaf Strobilomyces · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bark of Atlas cedar
Bark Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova · CC BY-SA 4.0

How to spot them

  • ▸Ascending, more upright branches and a pyramidal or columnar outline when young, spreading with age
  • ▸Short needles, up to about 3 cm, in tufts along the branches, often blue-grey ("Glauca" forms) or bright green
  • ▸Barrel-shaped, upright cones with a flat or slightly dimpled top
  • ▸Erect leading shoot
  • ▸Look-alike: cedar of Lebanon has broad, flat, tiered horizontal branching and darker green needles; Atlas cedar is more upright and often blue.

How to know it

The blue-needled Glauca cultivars of this cedar from North Africa are a standard park and garden tree

Atlas cedar.

A cedar native to the mountains of Morocco and Algeria and introduced to Britain around the 1840s

Atlas cedar.

Its branches ascend more steeply than those of the flat-tiered cedar from the Middle East, and its needles are shorter and bluer

Atlas cedar, versus cedar of Lebanon.

Listed as Endangered by the IUCN, though widely planted in Britain

Atlas cedar.

Also called African, Atlantic or silvery cedar in horticulture

Atlas cedar (RHS).

Its barrel-shaped cones sit upright on the branches, break up on the tree, and never fall whole

Atlas cedar.

Quick-fire facts

  • •Cedrus atlantica — a true cedar from the Atlas and Rif mountains of Morocco and Algeria
  • •Introduced to Britain in the 1840s; sources vary between about 1840 and 1844
  • •IUCN status: Endangered (Forest Research)
  • •Forest Research: could have wider use in the UK as the climate warms; categorised as a plot-stage species
  • •Other common names: African cedar, Atlantic cedar, Mount Atlas cedar, silvery cedar (RHS)
  • •The blue Glauca Group is the most common in cultivation
  • •RHS habit: columnar upright; not native to GB and Ireland
  • •No specific notifiable pest problem is noted for it; cedars in general may suffer Sirococcus blight

Drill it — 6 cards

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Sources