CEDRUS DEODARA. 
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o 
It will be feen, by comparing the above characters and defcnption with thofe of the Cedar of Lebanon 
and Cedrus Atlantica, that the differences between them are not great. This has given rife to much dif- 
cuffion among fcientific men as to whether they are mere varieties of the fame fpecies, or three true and 
diftindt fpecies. Major Hodgfon, when furveying the Himmalayahs, firft promulgated the idea that they 
were the fame, and Captain A. Gerard adopted his views. The grounds on which they have been confid- 
ered independent fpecies have hitherto been mainly their habit and manner of growth. There are, however, 
or have been fuppofed to be, fome differences in the botanical characters, fuch as the form of the leaves, 
cones, fcales, and feeds, in the degree of perfiftence of the cones, the different quality of the timber, and the 
odour of the wood and leaves, &c., which cannot be paffed over without confideration. 
We fhall examine all thefe differences, whether of habit or character, feriatim, and endeavour to weigh 
the importance that fhould be attached to each. 
In the firft place, undoubtedly, the greateft difference which can be pointed out is in the habit of growth. 
In the Cedar of Lebanon, the leading fhoot in young trees is ftiff, often inclined to one fide, but not 
pendulous; when older, it becomes firft fpiry, and afterward the tree affumes a more or 
habftof growth 6 tabulated form, the branches being fpread out in horizontal layers or ftages, with 
the ends of the branches drooping more or lefs. 
The African Cedar has a perfectly ereCt rigid leader, and ftraight ftiff ends to the branches, not droop¬ 
ing, as in the Cedar of Lebanon. 
The Deodar, on the other hand, has a very pendulous leader, and much more drooping ends to its 
branches;* afterwards, it acquires a rounded top and horizontal branches, as already mentioned. 
All, however, are very variable in habit and appearance; and, what is more extraordinary, inftances 
occur where fpecial and exceptional treatment has changed the habit from that of one tree into that of the 
other. A Deodar may be feen at Chatfworth, of which the one-half appears to be a Deodar, and the other- 
half a Cedar of Lebanon. When young, the half of a main branch happened to be broken off, and all the 
branchlets and branches which afterwards grew from that broken branch affirmed the ftiff, flat port of the 
Cedar, while the reft of the tree continued unchanged, and wholly Deodar. That it fhould have done fo 
feems in accordance with phyfiological principles. The pruning which this branch had fuffered caufed it 
to receive a greater proportion of fap than it could naturally difpofe of, and confequently made it more 
vigorous. The effedt of greater vigour would be to raife the drooping twigs, and fo give the Deodar the 
appearance of a Cedar. The change, however, was confined to that branch ; but it proved permanent on 
it, and continued to grow with its growth. What may be called congenital varieties are alfo common ; fo 
much fo, that in the cafe of the Deodar there are five diftind varieties known to nurferymen—fome as ftiff, 
others as dark-coloured, and others as fhort-leaved as the Cedar of Lebanon. But with all that, the habit 
remains fo diftinH that it is fcarcely poffible to miftake the one for the other. No one, we believe, ever faw 
a Cedar of Lebanon with its feedling ftem turned downwards ; no one a Deodar in any other ftate. 
The late Mr Robert Glendinning fays—“ I can fhew any one thoufands of each of the kinds growing 
near one another, of from one to nine years’ growth, all of them having been raifed from feeds on the fame 
fpot; and I will venture to affirm that no botanical or gardening knowledge is required to diftinguiflr them; 
or I will take at random one hundred of each, three feet high, promifcuoufly, and mix them, and I will 
ouarantee that any bricklayer’s labourer will feparate them without any error. They are as eafily feparated 
in the feedling ftate as at four feet high ” (Card. Citron., 5th March 1853). 
Another writer fays—“ Sow any number of millions of feeds of the Deodar, and the fame number of the 
Cedar, mix the plants together, and after many years’ growth no gardener would have the flighted difficulty 
feparating the two kinds ’ {Card. Chron ., 19th Feb. 1853). 
in 
Nor 
, Mr Glendinning 
Cl them fronTother parts of the world ? Has the climate of the Himmalayahs any effeft of this kind on the 
o-rowth of thefe conifers ? ” 
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