Cedrus deodara (Himalayan Cedar) at the Oamaru Botanical Gardens, New Zealand. Cedrus deodara is native to the western Himalayas in eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, northern India, southwesternmost Tibet and western Nepal, occurring at 1,500--3,200 m (4,921--10,499 ft) altitude. It is a large evergreen coniferous tree reaching 40--50 m (131--164 ft) tall, exceptionally 60 m (197 ft) with a trunk up to 3 m (10 ft) in diameter. It has a conic crown with level branches and drooping branchlets. The deodar tree is the national tree of Pakistan. Among Hindus, as the etymology of deodar suggests, it is worshiped as a divine tree. Forests full of Deodar or Devadāru trees were the favorite living place of ancient Indian sages and their families who were devoted to the Hindu god Shiva. To please Lord Shiva, the sages used to perform very difficult tapasya (meditation) practices in deodar forests. Also the ancient Hindu epics and Shaivite texts regularly mention Darukavana, meaning a forest of deodars, as a sacred place. The inner wood is aromatic and used to make incense. Inner wood is distilled into essential oil. As insects avoid this tree, the essential oil is used as insect repellent on the feet of horses, cattle and camels. It also has anti-fungal properties and has some potential for control of fungal deterioration of spices during storage. The outer bark and stem are astringent. Due to its anti fungal and insect repellent properties, rooms made of Deodar wood are used to store meat and food grains like oats and wheat. Deodar is in great demand as building material because of its durability, rot-resistant character and fine, close grain, which is capable of taking a high polish. Despite its durability, it is not a strong timber, and its brittle nature makes it unsuitable for delicate work where strength is required, such as chair-making.

• published: 17 Nov 2013
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