Plant Type

Tree, Conifer

 

Height Range

25-40', 40-60'

 

Flower Color

n/a

 

Flower Season

n/a

 

Leaf Color

Blue Green, Grey Green

 

Bark Color

Brown, Grey

 

Fruit Color

Brown

 

Fruit Season

Persistent

Sun

Full

 

Water

Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate, Slow

 

Soil Type

Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Formal, Mediterranean, Ranch, Spanish, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Silhouette, Specimen, Unusual Foliage

 

Seasonal Interest

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Park

 

Special Uses

Screen, Wind Break, Shade Tree

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds

Atlas cedar is an evergreen conifer that typically grows to 40 to 60 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide, though sometimes wider. It is one of the true cedars. Its habit is usually loose pyramidal when young, becoming more flat-topped with long spreading branches as it ages. Needles, to 1 inch long, are curved toward the tip and appear in tufted clusters. Cedars have lovely cones, emerging bluish when young and aging a reddish brown. Seed raised specimens vary in foliage color from green to silver-blue. Native to the Atlas Mountains in northern Africa (Morocco and Algeria).

Best grown in deep, well-drained, acidic loams in full sun. Drought tolerant once established. Some sources list it as being hardy to USDA Zone 6, but there are many large, well established specimens in the valley, though maybe not a good choice for the benches. Tolerant of heat and drought. The greatest problem with this tree is that it is usually planted much too close to a building, walk, or driveway, and so has to be butchered to be gotten around.