Plant: Blue Atlas - Cedar Tree

Plant description

Atlas cedar is a fine to medium textured needled evergreen conifer that grows at a medium rate to 40 to 60 feet tall and 30 to 40 feet wide, holding a pyramidal to spreading form with horizontal branching as it ages. The rigid bluish green to silvery blue needles, 0.7 to 1.5 inches long, are carried in clusters of 10 to 30, and upright finger shaped cones sit on the upper branches. Native to the mountains of Morocco and Algeria, it takes full sun to partial shade in clay, loam or sandy soils with good drainage, and tolerates drought, heat, pollution and salt once established. Use it as an accent or specimen where there is room for its spread; it drops needles and branchlets and heavy snow can break limbs.

Foliage

Small needles 0.7 to 1.5 inches long that are bluish green and vary from light to silvery blue; rigid needles carried in clusters of 10 to 30.

Fruit

Upright, finger shaped cones; purple female cones are cylindrical and up to 3 inches long on the upper branches.

Bark & stems

Makes a boxy pattern of rectangle shapes as the tree ages.

Native range

North & Central Morocco to North Algeria

Plant details