The Blue Atlas Cedar is a conifer that bears strikingly silvery-blue-green needles, which make it a spectacular standout in any landscape.
It will be large at maturity, potentially attaining a height of 60-feet with a 40-foot spread. However, in ideal growing conditions, it can get bigger – so it needs a lot of space to accommodate its full size. Its growth rate is slow to medium, compared with other conifers. When young, its crown is a narrow pyramidal shape with open, horizontal, sometimes upright branches; with age, its shape becomes thicker and wider.
The branches are covered with needles (up to 1-inch long), which are attached in densely tufted clusters that twist around the branches, with 20 to 30 needles in each cluster. The silvery-blue (“glaucus”) needle color is most intense on the softer new growth. This color is the result of a waxy “cuticle”, which is exuded on the surface of each needle and which serves as a protective coating – to keep moisture in the needle and to reflect the sun, making the tree more drought resistant, and insect resistant.
Blue Atlas Cedar is “monoecious”, which means that each tree has both male cones (that bear pollen) and female cones (that bear seeds). The male cones form on the lower half of the tree and the female cones on the upper half. The smaller (2- to 3-inches long and ½ inch wide) male pollen cones are solitary and finger-like in shape. The larger (2- to 4-inches long and 2- inches wide) female seed cones are barrel- shaped and stand upright on the branches. After pollination, the seed cones are purple-green when young – turning mauve and then brown when mature. It can take two to three seasons for the seed cones to ripen, dry, and open to disburse seeds. Upon opening, two winged seeds per cone scale are disseminated by the wind.
As the tree matures, its trunk can become remarkably thick, reaching a diameter of over 4 feet! The bark is light gray and smooth when young – becoming dark gray and scaly with shallow fissures with age.
Blue Atlas Cedar is a cultivar of the more common Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica); both are so named because they are endemic to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco in northwestern Africa. Blue Atlas Cedar is distinguished from Atlas Cedar by the intense silvery-blue green color of its needles.
Native populations of Atlas Cedar have declined 35% over the last 60 years, mainly due to wildfires and timber harvesting; however, they are still sufficient in number in the wild to keep it from being considered endangered at this time. Blue Atlas Cedar is widely propagated commercially and planted as an ornamental in temperate climates around the world, which should keep it from becoming endangered.
Blue Atlas Cedar is a species in the Pinaceae (pine) family. Its botanical name is Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’. The genus name, Cedrus, is the Latin name for “cedar tree” and the specific epithet, atlantica, refers to its homeland in the Atlas Mountains. The cultivar name, ‘Glauca’, comes from the Latin word, “glaucus”, meaning “blue-green” or “blue-gray” and refers to the color of its needles.
While Atlas Cedar is prized in its native range for its durable and aromatic timber that is highly desired for all types of construction, fine carpentry, and furniture. The more distinctive Blue Atlas Cedar is planted in most other parts of the world simply as an ornamental tree.
There are several extraordinary cultivar forms of Blue Atlas Cedar in the nursery trade, including the extraordinary weeping form, Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’, which is perfect for a raised planter or large pot. It is especially useful in a Japanese garden setting. Surprisingly the Blue Atlas Cedar is widely used for bonsai.
Due to its Mediterranean origin, once established, Blue Atlas Cedar is quite drought- and heat-tolerant, making it suitable for all areas in our community, which also has a Mediterranean climate. Another other desirable feature is that it is essentially free of insect and disease problems. It should be planted in full sun and in soil that is well drained and preferably acidic. Don’t forget that it will require a good bit of space at maturity; it is not meant for small gardens – unless you get the pendulous form or intend to have it pruned for a more compact upright growth habit or as a large bonsai.
Blue Atlas Cedar is a wonderful specimen tree that makes a dramatic focal point in any large landscape. It really should be planted here more frequently.
While Blue Atlas Cedars have been planted in Santa Barbara for over 100 years, most now stand in private gardens with very few available for viewing in public spaces. That said, they can be seen in several places about town: as a street tree in the 200 Block of East Constance Avenue; in front of the Santa Barbara Police Department building (at 215 E. Figueroa Street); in the front yard of 230 E. Pedregosa Street; in the front yard of 815 Cambria Drive; and, in front of 3714 State Street. Notably and not surprisingly, there is a lovely grove standing in the “Blue Garden” of Ganna Walska Lotusland.
Tree-of-the-Month articles are sponsored by Santa Barbara Beautiful, whose many missions include the increase of public awareness and appreciation of Santa Barbara’s many outstanding trees and, in a long-time partnership with the City Parks & Recreation Department, the funding and planting of trees along the City’s streets.
Those who wish to honor a special someone can do so with an attractive commemorative marker that will be installed at the base of an existing street tree in the City of Santa Barbara. Because Santa Barbara Beautiful has participated in the planting to date of over 14,000 street trees, there are plenty of trees from which to choose! Application forms are available on the Santa Barbara Beautiful website, www.sbbeautiful.org.
Article and Photos by David Gress
