Cedrus deodara

Across the lawn from the katsura tree in yesterday's post, stand these regal specimens of Cedrus deodara or deodar cedar.  This is probably in my top-five list for conifers (stay posted for that entry!).  I love the deodar cedar's graceful, feathery habit.  ...There is one specimen in Central Park's Cedar Hill that I've shown to students since I've begun teaching and it never fails to take my breath away.

 

Cedrus is in the Pinaceae family and is classified as such because its leaves are long, cylindrical needles.  Other Pinaceae genera include Pinus, Tsuga, Larix, Abies and Picea.

 

Unlike pine trees, which have needles bundled together in fascicles, Cedrus species have the needles arranged in spurs.  Cedrus deodara usually has between 15 and 25 needles per spur, whereas Cedrus atlantica glauca (blue atlas cedar) has 30+ needles per spur.  

...I have to admit, I'm amused that between this post and my post on white oak, readers could think that I always have a fresh manicure.  It's definitely not the norm!

 

Cedrus, and other genera in the Pinaceae genus, have two sets of cones.  On lower branches, you find the smaller male cones, like the ones above.  These form through late summer into fall and when they are "ripe" they release pollen into the wind.  

 

In the upper reaches of the tree (I used a 40X on this zoom!) you'll find the female cones (and a few male cones as well).  The female cones receive the pollen and the take up to two years to produce seeds.  When the seeds are ready for dispersal, the scales of the cones open up and release them to the wind.  The female cones generally exist in the top of the canopy to disperse the seeds as far away as possible.   Most Pinaceae cones will only open up if the air is dry.  In rainy or humid weather the cones -- sometimes even ones that have fallen to the forest floor -- remain closed, since the wet weather will hinder seed dispersal.