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Atlas Cedar
Atlas Cedars near Khénifra, Morocco
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Cedrus
Species: C. atlantica
Binomial name
Cedrus atlantica
(Endl.) Manetti ex Carrière
Synonyms

C. libani subsp. atlantica (Endl.) Batt. & Trab.

The Atlas Cedar is a cedar native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria (Tell Atlas) and Morocco (in the Rif and Middle Atlas, and locally in the High Atlas).[1] A majority of the modern sources[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] treat it as a distinct species Cedrus atlantica, but some sources[10][11] consider it a subspecies of Lebanon Cedar (C. libani subsp. atlantica).

Foliage and mature cone

Contents

Morphology

It is a medium-sized to large tree, 30–35 m (rarely 40m) tall, with a trunk diameter of 1.5–2 m.It is very similar in all characters to the other varieties of Lebanon Cedar; differences are hard to discern. The mean cone size tends to be somewhat smaller (although recorded to 12 cm,[1] only rarely over 9 cm long, compared to up to 10 cm in C. brevifolia, and 12 cm in C. libani) though with considerable overlap (all can be as short as 6 cm), while the leaf length (10–25 mm) is similar that of C. libani subsp. stenocoma, on average longer than C. brevifolia and shorter than C. libani subsp. libani, but again with considerable overlap.[1][12][7] In addition, many (but far from all) of the cultivated trees have glaucous (bluish) foliage, more downy shoots, and can have more leaves in each whorl; young trees in cultivation often have more ascending branches than many cultivated C. libani subsp. libani.[13]

Ecology

Atlas Cedar forms forests on mountain sides at 1,370 to 2,200 m, often in pure forests, or mixed with Algerian Fir, juniper, holm oak and maple. These forests can provide habitat for the endangered Barbary Macaque, Macaca sylvanus, a primate that had a prehistorically much wider distribution in northern Morocco and Algeria.[14]

Cultivation and uses

It is common in cultivation in temperate climates. In garden settings it is most often the glaucous forms that are planted as ornamental trees. The glaucous forms may be distinguished as a Cultivar Group Glauca Group. There are also fastigiate, pendulous, and golden-leaf forms in cultivation. It is useful in cultivation because it is more tolerant of dry and hot conditions than most conifers.

Cedar plantations, mainly with Cedrus atlantica, have been established in southern France for timber production.

An Atlas Cedar is planted at the White House South Lawn in Washington D.C. Washington, DC. President Carter ordered a tree house built on the Cedar for his daughter Amy. The wooden structure was designed by the President himself, and is self supporting so as not to cause damage to the tree. [15]

References

  1. ^ a b c Gaussen, H. (1964). Genre Cedrus. Les Formes Actuelles. Trav. Lab. For. Toulouse T2 V1 11: 295-320
  2. ^ Gymnosperm database Cedrus.
  3. ^ GRIN Taxonomy for Plants Cedrus.
  4. ^ NCBI Taxonomy Browser Cedrus.
  5. ^ Flora of China vol. 4
  6. ^ Qiao, C.-Y., Jin-Hua Ran, Yan Li and Xiao-Quan Wang (2007): Phylogeny and Biogeography of Cedrus (Pinaceae) Inferred from Sequences of Seven Paternal Chloroplast and Maternal Mitochondrial DNA Regions. Annals of Botany 100(3):573-580. Available online
  7. ^ a b Farjon, A. (1990). Pinaceae. Drawings and Descriptions of the Genera. Koeltz Scientific Books ISBN 3-87429-298-3.
  8. ^ Farjon, A. (2008). A Natural History of Conifers. Timber Press ISBN-10: 0881928690.
  9. ^ Christou, K. A. (1991). The genetic and taxonomic status of Cyprus Cedar, Cedrus brevifolia (Hook.) Henry. Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Greece.
  10. ^ Güner, A., Özhatay, N., Ekim, T., & Başer, K. H. C. (ed.). 2000. Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands 11 (Supplement 2): 5–6. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0-7486-1409-5
  11. ^ Eckenwalder, J. E. (2009). Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference. Timber Press ISBN-10: 0881929743.
  12. ^ Schwarz, O. (1944). Anatolica. Feddes Repertorium 54: 26-34.
  13. ^ Walters, W. M. (1986). European Garden Flora Vol 1. ISBN 0-521- 24859-0.
  14. ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2008. Barbary Macaque: Macaca sylvanus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
  15. ^ http://www.whitehousehistory.org/04/subs_pph/PresidentDetail.aspx?ID=39&imageID=4232

Images

Tree planted at the Tyler Arboretum

Trunk

A tree in the Glauca Group

Branch of a tree in the Glauca Group

Needles of a tree in the Glauca Group

Young pollen cone before pollen dispersal

Cluster of pollen cones after pollen dispersal

Bonsai

Atlas Cedar Cedrus atlantica at Kew Gardens

Cedrus atlantica, Domaine de Mariemont, Belgium







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