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Latin Name:
Cedrus deodora 'Shalimar'
Common Name:
Himalayan Cedar
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Description:
Himalayan cedar is perhaps the most pendulous of the true cedars, with drooping branchlets and branching that is gracefully drooping at the tips. Pyramidal when young, it matures to a flat-topped tree with broad-spreading horizontal branching. Lower branches typically remain on the tree as it ages, often touching the ground. This is a medium-growing tree that matures to 40-50’ tall in its first 25 years. In its native habitat, trees reportedly will grow much taller over time, sometimes reaching 150-200’ tall. Dark grayish-green needles (to 1.25” long) appear in clusters. Upright cones (to 4” long). It is native to the Himalayas.
The species is marginally hardy in this area (zone 6) but the tree in the park is the cultivar ‘Shalimar’, noted for having much better winter hardiness than the species. It was introduced by the Arnold Arboretum in the early 1980s from seed collected in Kashmir in 1964. It features handsome blue-green needles and has very few insect or disease problems.
Seven Gables has a fine specimen near the south side of the meadow. It was donated and planted in 1998 by Scott Carver.