Himalayan cedar

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Himalayan cedar
Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara) from Himachal Pradesh, India

Himalayan cedar ( Cedrus deodara ) from Himachal Pradesh , India

Systematics
Subdivision : Seed plants (Spermatophytina)
Class : Coniferopsida
Order : Conifers (Coniferales)
Family : Pine family (Pinaceae)
Genre : Cedars ( Cedrus )
Type : Himalayan cedar
Scientific name
Cedrus deodara
(D. Don) G. Don

The Himalayan cedar ( Cedrus deodara ) is a conifer species from the genus of the cedar ( Cedrus ) in the pine family (Pinaceae).

Distribution and location

The Himalayan cedar is native from western Nepal to eastern Afghanistan . The distribution area is limited to altitudes of 1200 m to 3000 m. It grows both on nutrient-poor, dry limestone sites and on moderately acidic soils.

In Germany , the Himalayan cedar is only hardy in the milder areas .

description

Under optimal conditions, the Himalayan cedar reaches heights of growth of 35 meters. The main branches grow conspicuously horizontally and have drooping tips. At four to five centimeters, the flexible needles are the longest of the cedar species. While the needles are still blue-green in youth, they turn darker by around 25 years of age. The needles appear singly on long shoots and in clusters on short shoots . It is conspicuous and therefore useful for a species identification that the needle tips are transparent. The barrel-shaped cones are upright, about nine centimeters tall and five to six centimeters wide.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.

  • Young tree, planted

  • Shoots

Taxonomy

The Himalayan cedar ( Cedrus deodara (Roxb. Ex D.Don) G.Don ) has the following synonyms: Pinus deodara Roxb. ex D.Don , Abies deodara (Roxb. ex D.Don) Lindl. , Cedrus libani var. Deodara (Roxb. Ex D.Don) Hook.f. , Cedrus libani subsp. deodora (Roxb. ex D.Don) PDSell , Cedrus indica Chambray .

use

In India the wood was used for shipbuilding. The Himalayan cedar was also grown in England for the same reason . This attempt failed, however, because the necessary durability was not achieved so far in the north. The species was introduced in Europe as an ornamental wood in 1822 . In Germany , however, it suffers from frost because of its early budding, and it is also sensitive to late frosts. Varieties with gray-blue to silver-gray needles tolerate frost better. For plantings, we recommend locations protected from winter sun.

sorts

A distinction is made between the following types :

  • 'Albospica': A Nordic selection from 1899 with initially light creamy yellow needles that only turn green towards the end of the growing season .
  • 'Argenta': Bred in France and described in 1866, with silver-green needles.
  • 'Aurea': Originated in Great Britain in 1866 , with initially golden yellow needles, in summer green needles.
  • 'Gold Mound': A relatively young variety that was bred in Canada in 1982 and that has grown more broadly. The needles are yellowish-green in color.
  • 'Pendula': A widespread variety, bred in Germany around 1900 , which grows almost crawling on the ground if it is not pulled up on a pole when it is young.
  • 'Robusta': A clone from Great Britain, described in 1852; with rather drooping branches and light blue-green needles.
  • 'Verticillata': Bred in France around 1887, with a vivid appearance when young and branch tips pointing upwards.

literature

  • David More, John White, Joachim Mayer [transl.]: Manchurian fir . In: The Cosmos Encyclopedia of Trees: 2100 species and varieties . Kosmos, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-440-10170-3 , pp. 151-153 .
  • Peter A. Schmidt, Ulrich Hecker: Taschenlexikon der Gehölze, Quelle & Meyer, 2009, ISBN 978-3-494-01448-7

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Tropicos. [1]
  2. ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Cedrus deodara. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved April 10, 2019.

Web links

Commons : Himalayan Cedar ( Cedrus deodara )  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files