This tree is native to the Himalayans, where its name was derived from the Sanskrit word 'devadara', meaning tree of the gods. It was then shortened to the common Indian name 'deodar'. In Asia, Deodar wood was used to construct temples. And in ancient Egypt it was used to make sarcophagi (coffins) for mummies. Although found in the Himalayans naturally, it is quite tolerant of a variety of environmental conditions and it therefore used as an ornamental tree in many locations. The soil can range from a pH of 3.7 to 7.3, and can be sand, loam, or clay in texture. It also can do well in either moist or dry soil, with either partial shade or full sun exposure. Deodar Cedars unite the relaxed, drooping posture of hemlocks and the massive horizontal sturdiness of certain pines, and can reach 200 feet in height (although the more typical range is 40-70 feet). It has quite short bluish-green needles on stout woody branches, which are 1-2 inch in length. Needles are not fascicled but clustered on small lateral branches. The bark is brown and smooth on young trees and rough and grooved on larger trees.  The erect, fist-sized, blue-green cones shatter to pieces in spring when the seeds ripen and fall apart on the branch.