Cedrus atlantica

Atlas cedar is in the pine or Pinaceae family and is native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and to parts of Algeria. Many modern sources treat it as a distinct species, but some sources consider it a subspecies of cedar of Lebanon (C. libani subsp. Atlantica). Physically discerning the two species is difficult.

• Branches are strongly ascending and relatively short; the leading shoot is erect and bent at the tip.
• Evergreen needles are 1–2.5 cm in length and are single on long shoots and are in dense whorls of 19–28 needles, on shorter side shoots. The Glauca variety often seen in gardens has blue-gray foliage.
• Species is monoecious. Males cones are upright, up to 7 cm long, 1 cm across on lower part of tree; female cones are thicker and erect, becoming barrel-shaped, up to 7 cm long, 4 cm wide. They are first purple-brown, ripening to brown and disintegrating at maturity fragmenting cones) to drop their seeds.
• Bark is dark gray, furrowing vertically with age.