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Botanical Name: Cedrus atlantica 'Pendula'
Common Name: Weeping Atlas Cedar
Origin: Morocco/Algeria
Location: CSW
Notable Feature: This dramatic, weeping conifer generates a special addition to any landscape. Grows slowly with a sprawling, horizontal habit, though often trained into an upright, serpentine form. The pendent branchlets create a graceful, waterfall-like effect.
Habit: An evergreen conifer with a growing habit that is loosely pyramidal when young, becoming more flat-topped with long spreading branches with age. ‘Pendula’ is a columnar, weeping form featuring dense branches that hang vertically. Training determines the form of the tree which can range from narrow-upright (if supported) to cascading in a variety of directions (if unsupported), thus the actual size will be based on how it is trained. On average, the weeping Atlas cedar will be 10 feet tall at maturity and 15 to 20 feet wide.
Flower: Monoecious -- male and female flowers appear in separate, cone-like structures on the same tree in spring. Male cones are 2 to 3” long and borne on lower parts of the tree; female cones are thicker and erect, purplish, and borne on top sections of the tree.
Fruit: The fertilized female cones (2 to 4” long and 2” wide) sit upright on the higher branches, are thick and purplish, and ripen to green and finally brown in the fall after two years.
Foliage: Needle-like leaves, usually less than 1” long, are arranged spirally on young shoots, and in whorls on short, spur-like side-shoots. Needle color can range from green to a bluish green.
Bark: Initially smooth and gray, later darkening and developing fine, flat scales.
Interesting Fact: Allow plenty of room for branches to spread. The tree is best located as a lawn specimen away from walks, streets, and sidewalks so branches will not have to be pruned -- looking awkward and appearing out of character if lower branches are removed.