41. Cedrus deodara (G. Don) G. Don PINACEAE
Deodar, Himalayan cedar; Hindi: devdar, देवदार
With its gracefully pendent branches and pyramidal shape, this was perhaps the most familiar of all Indian plants in larger Victorian gardens and parks. Seed was exported on a large scale from the Saharanpur Botanic garden from the 1840s onwards – 2000 lbs (900 kg) of seed in the year 1863 alone. It is native to the North-West Himalaya (from Afghanistan to Western Nepal), where it can reach a height of 75 metres. It is an important timber tree: the aromatic, durable wood is used for construction purposes and for making furniture and boats. Oil is distilled from the wood and used medicinally.
![](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/41b.CedrDeo-870x1024.jpg)
Watercolour of the cone of Cedrus deodara by Margaret Eleanora Prinsep, c 1862, from the Cleghorn Collection