I hope everyone had a nice break from the trees…now it's time to explore some of the evergreens in our landscape. The Deodora Cedar is one of the true cedars and does very well in zones 7-9. A nicely shaped tree, it is pyramidal with drooping leader. It reminds me of Harry Potter and some kind of wizard's hat. (I saw one or two of the movies, isn't there a hat that talks??) The tips of the branches also droop.
A moderate grower, it can reach a height of up to 80 feet with a 40 foot spread. It can grow in sun to partial shade and needs well drained soil.
The leaves/needles are whorled in groups of 15- 20, about 1"- 2" long. The color is great…a blue-gray-green. It looks and feels soft.
The fruit occur on the female tree and the catkins on the male tree. The pollen is shed in the fall and the female fruit doesn't grow until the following spring, becoming full sized by June/July. It is not until September-November that they have fully ripened. From flower to fully ripe fruit is over a year! (I have one source that says it is monoecious and two that say it is dioecious. More research is needed, though it does have male and female flowers.)
The tree is a native of India/ Pakistan in the Himalayan Mountains. It transplants easily and is said to be the best cedar for the south. There are no big pest issues but poor soil and smog can cause problems.
NCState- quick good reference.
Virginia Tech – brief reference sheet, monoecious or dioecious?
Forestry Service/ UFL- good detail, no photos
Floridata- info -use of essential oils in Asia to treat TB and also used as an antiseptic.
Next week's tree- Eastern Red Cedar
She knows me and knows I would want to see it! Look at it, have you ever seen such a thing? Carol had her book with her to make a good identification... Bearded Hedgehog, Hericium erinaceus. The colors range from orangish to white. The book calls these spines, but they are so soft. 
