DEVADARU

According to Hindu mithology it is considering as a holly tree.

SI Name: Cedrus deodara Roxb.

Family: Pinaceae

Sanskrit Names:

Devatharu, Suradharu, Bhadradharu, Devakaashtam, Amaradasa, Paribhadra, Snehavriksha, Mahachadha:

Rasadi Gunas:

Rasam: THiktham, Katu

Gunam :Lakhu, Snigdham

Veeryam : Ushnam

Vipakam: Katu

MORPHOLOGY:

Leaf:

Evergreen needles, dark green but may have some silvery bloom giving them a blue-green color; 1 to 2 inches long, sharp pointed; occur singly on new growth and than later on spur shoots; remaining on the tree for 3 to 6 years.

Flower:

Monoecious; male cones 2 to 3 inches long on the lower parts of crown; female cones erect, purplish, occur on upper portions of crown.

Fruit:

Upright cones, 3 to 4 inches long and 3 inches across; deciduous scales; initially green and purplish, then later turning a reddish brown when mature, usually resinous.

Twig:

Slender, with numerous short spur shoots, branches droop with age; buds are very small and round.

Bark:

Initially smooth and gray-brown, later developing short furrows with scaly ridge tops.

Form:

Young trees have a broad pyramidal crown that becomes wider with age; branch tips and leaders droop and have a fine texture. In the landscape it can reach 80 feet tall but becomes much taller in its native range.

Useful part: heart wood, oil