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Cedrus deodara

Common name:	Deodar	Family:	Pinaceae
Author:	(Roxb. ex D.Don.)G.Don.	Botanical references:	11, 51, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - Afghanistan to Nepal.
Habitat:	Forms forests in the drier areas of the Himalayas at 1800 - 3000 metres[51, 81].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. deodora[E] C. deodora f. aurea[G] Pinus deodara[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Amaradaru [E], Deodar [B,H], Deodar Cedar [H,DEN1,P], Indian Cedar [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	cedrus = of the cedars
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Pinales. Pine family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	India

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 33m by 10m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from October to November, and the seeds ripen from October to December. The scented flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure. It cannot tolerate atmospheric pollution.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Canopy.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antidote Astringent Carminative Diaphoretic Diuretic Skin TB.

The heartwood is carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic and expectorant[240, 272]. A decoction of the wood is used in the treatment of fevers, flatulence, pulmonary and urinary disorders, rheumatism, piles, kidney stones, insomnia, diabetes etc[240, 254]. It has been used as an antidote to snake bites[240, 243].
The plant yields a medicinal essential oil by distillation of the wood, it is used in the treatment of phthisis, bronchitis, blennorrhagia and skin eruptions[4, 158, 240]. A resin obtained from the wood is used externally to treat bruises, skin diseases and injuries to joints[272].
The bark is astringent. It has proved useful in the treatment of fevers, diarrhoea and dysentery[240, 243].
In Ayurvedic medicine the leaves are used in the treatment of tuberculosis[254].
An oil obtained from the seed is diaphoretic[272]. It is applied externally to treat skin diseases[272].

Other Uses

Shelterbelt Wood.

A fairly wind-tolerant tree, it can be used in shelterbelt plantings[200].
Wood - moderately hard, durable, aromatic, fine and even grained. Resistant to termites, it is used for construction, furniture, boats etc[51, 61, 145, 158, 272]. A valuable timber, but a poor fuel, producing a lot of smoke as it burns[51, 272].

Cultivation details

Thrives on most soils, being very tolerant of dry sites and of drought when it is established[81, 200]. Succeeds in very chalky soils[200]. Prefers a rich loam or a sandy clay in full sun[1]. Succeeds in warm dry areas with less than 40cm of rain a year, but also in areas with cool summers and up to 200cm of rain[200]. Dislikes atmospheric pollution[11]. Plants are fairly wind tolerant[200].
This species is the least hardy of the genus and does not always succeed outdoors in Britain[11] although some clones are hardy down to zone 5 and grow well in this country[200]. The hardiest forms come from the west of its range[81]. Trees thrive best in the cooler and moister areas of Britain[11].
Small trees less than 50cm tall establish much more quickly and better than taller trees, those that are more than 2 metres tall are difficult to establish[200]. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance[200].
Plants are said to live for up to 600 years in the wild[227].
New growth takes place from May to the end of September and can exceed 1 metre per year, slowing down as the tree gets larger and virtually ceasing by the time the tree is 20 metres tall[185].
This species is sometimes cultivated for timber in some parts of S. Europe[50].
Small male cones are formed on the lower branches of trees, whilst the larger female cones are formed on higher branches[238]. These female cones persist on the tree for 2 - 3 years before breaking up[238].
Trees are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200].
The whole plant is aromatic[245].

Propagation

Seed - collect the cones in winter and keep in a warm room until they open[1]. Sow immediately in a cold frame[78]. One report says that a short cold stratification of one month improves germination rates[113]. Keep the seed pot moist, but be careful because the young seedlings are very prone to damp off, keep them well ventilated[113]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Give them some protection from winter cold for their first winter or two outdoors[K].
Cuttings of terminal shoots can be tried in a frame in November but they are very difficult[113].

Scent

Plant: Crushed Dried: The whole plant is aromatic.

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Cedrus deodora (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.

References for the family Pinaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[81] Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X
Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[145] Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976
A good flora of the western Himalayas but poorly illustrated. Some information on plant uses.

[158] Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press 1945
A good flora for the middle Himalayan forests, sparsly illustrated. Not really for the casual reader.

[185] Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975 ISBN 0-11-710012-9
A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[227] Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982 ISBN 0292780206
A readable guide to the area, it contains descriptions of the plants and their habitats with quite a bit of information on plant uses.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[243] Medicinal Plants of Nepal Dept. of Medicinal Plants. Nepal. 1993
Terse details of the medicinal properties of Nepalese plants, including cultivated species and a few imported herbs.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

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