Blue Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica glauca)
The name cedar is often used for any tree with dark, spicy-scented wood. In Japan there is the plume cedar (Cryptomeria), in North America the incense cedar (Calocedrus), Western cedar (Thuja) and Eastern cedar (Chaemocyparis). But the true cedars, distinguished by their majestic architecture, are only four in number and three of these are found around the Mediterranean. Similar in appearance to the cedars of Lebanon, Cedrus atlantica is a native of the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, tolerating hot dry conditions. Global warming has prompted a search for forest species that will thrive in central Europe and indications are that the Atlas cedar may be most suitable. Its blue form remains a popular garden tree, though not really suitable for a small space due to its colossal spread when mature. Hugh Johnson describes seeing ‘their desperate pale-blue gestures over every little garden wall in some parts of France’.
I remember fondly the blue cedar that grew in the admittedly-large garden of my childhood. At Christmas we decorated it head to foot with handmade streamers, stars and bells, but by the time I arrived at adulthood it was almost out of reach, so only a few of the lower branches could be festooned with tinsel and baubles. Nowadays at 45m high its days as a Christmas tree are over.
The wood of the Atlantic cedar is pale brown with well-defined growth rings. It is durable and notable for its resistance to fungi and termites, but because it tends to distort when drying and may be brittle, it is not particularly good for building. However it is easy to work and takes a fine finish, so is popular for joinery, furniture and veneer.
