For other uses, see FIR (disambiguation) and FIRS (disambiguation).
"Fir Tree" redirects here. For other uses, see Fir Tree (disambiguation).
Fir
Temporal range: 49–0 Ma
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Korean fir (Abies koreana) cones and foliage
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Division:
Pinophyta
Class:
Pinopsida
Order:
Pinales
Family:
Pinaceae
Subfamily:
Abietoideae
Genus:
Abies Mill.
Species
See text
Firs (Abies) are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range. Firs are most closely related to the genus Cedrus (cedar). Douglas firs are not true firs, being of the genus Pseudotsuga.
They are large trees, reaching heights of 10–80 m (33–262 ft) tall with trunk diameters of 0.5–4 m (1 ft 8 in–13 ft 1 in) when mature. Firs can be distinguished from other members of the pine family by the way in which their needle-like leaves are attached singly to the branches with a base resembling a suction cup, and by their cones, which, like those of true cedars (Cedrus), stand upright on the branches like candles and disintegrate at maturity.
Identification of the different species is based on the size and arrangement of the leaves, the size and shape of the cones, and whether the bract scales of the cones are long and exserted, or short and hidden inside the cone.
Contents
1Leaves
2Cones
3Classification
3.1Section Abies
3.2Section Balsamea
3.3Section Grandis
3.4Section Momi
3.5Section Amabilis
3.6Section Pseudopicea
3.7Section Oiamel
3.8Section Nobilis
3.9Section Bracteata
3.10Section Incertae sedis
4Uses and ecology
5References
6Bibliography
7External links
Leaves
A. alba – the underside of leaves have 2 whitish strips formed by wax-covered stomatal bands; the bases of the needles are shaped like suction cups.
A. grandis foliage – upper side of the leaves
Atypical A. alba foliage from Dinaric calcareous fir forests on Mt. Orjen
Firs can be distinguished from other members of the pine family by the unique attachment of their needle-like leaves to the twig by a base that resembles a small suction cup.
The leaves are significantly flattened, sometimes even looking like they are pressed, as in A. sibirica.
The leaves have two whitish lines on the bottom, each of which is formed by wax-covered stomatal bands. In most species, the upper surface of the leaves is uniformly green and shiny, without stomata or with a few on the tip, visible as whitish spots. Other species have the upper surface of leaves dull, gray-green or bluish-gray to silvery (glaucous), coated by wax with variable number of stomatal bands, and not always continuous. An example species with shiny green leaves is A. alba, and an example species with dull waxy leaves is A. concolor.
The tips of leaves are usually more or less notched (as in A. firma), but sometimes rounded or dull (as in A. concolor, A. magnifica) or sharp and prickly (as in A. bracteata, A. cephalonica, A. holophylla). The leaves of young plants are usually sharper.
The way they spread from the shoot is very diverse, only in some species comb-shaped, with the leaves arranged on two sides, flat (A. alba) [2][clarification needed]
Cones
Intact and disintegrated Bulgarian fir cones
Immature cones of some of species or races are green, not purple-bluish: for instance, Manchurian fir.
Disintegrating cones of Manchurian fir
Firs differ from other conifers in having erect, cylindrical cones 5–25 cm (2–10 in) long that disintegrate at maturity to release the winged seeds.
In contrast to spruces, even large fir cones do not hang, but are raised like candles.
Mature cones are usually brown, young in summer can be green, for example:
A. grandis, A. holophylla, A. nordmanniana
or purple and blue, sometimes very dark:
A. fraseri, A. homolepis (var. umbellata green), A. koreana ('Flava' green), A. lasiocarpa, A. nephrolepis (f. chlorocarpa green), A. sibirica, A. veitchii (var. olivacea green).[2]
Classification
Section Abies
Section Abies is found in central, south, and eastern Europe and Asia Minor.
Abies alba – silver fir
Abies nebrodensis – Sicilian fir
Abies borisii-regis – Bulgarian fir
Abies cephalonica – Greek fir
Abies nordmanniana – Nordmann fir or Caucasian fir
Abies nordmanniana subsp. bornmülleriana – Uludağ fir
Abies pinsapo – Spanish fir
Abies pinsapo var. marocana – Moroccan fir
Abies numidica – Algerian fir
Abies cilicica – Syrian fir
Section Balsamea
Section Balsamea is found in northern Asia and North America, and high mountains further south.
Abies fraseri – Fraser fir
Abies balsamea – balsam fir
Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis – bracted balsam fir
Abies lasiocarpa – subalpine fir
Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica – corkbark fir
Abies lasiocarpa var. bifolia – Rocky Mountains subalpine fir
Abies sibirica – Siberian fir
Abies sibirica var. semenovii
Abies sachalinensis – Sakhalin fir
Abies koreana – Korean fir
Abies nephrolepis – Khinghan fir
Abies veitchii – Veitch's fir
Abies veitchii var. sikokiana – Shikoku fir
Section Grandis
Section Grandis is found in western North America to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, in lowlands in the north, moderate altitudes in south.
Abies grandis – grand fir or giant fir
Abies grandis var. grandis – Coast grand fir
Abies grandis var. idahoensis – interior grand fir
Abies concolor – white fir
Abies concolor subsp. concolor – Rocky Mountain white fir or Colorado white fir
Abies concolor subsp. lowiana – Low's white fir or Sierra Nevada white fir
Abies durangensis – Durango fir
Abies durangensis var. coahuilensis – Coahuila fir
Abies flinckii – Jalisco fir
Abies guatemalensis – Guatemalan fir
Abies guatemalensis var. guatemalensis
Abies guatemalensis var. jaliscana
Abies vejarii
Section Momi
Section Momi is found in east and central Asia and the Himalaya, generally at low to moderate altitudes.
Abies kawakamii – Taiwan fir
Abies homolepis – Nikko fir
Abies recurvata – Min fir
Abies recurvata var. ernestii – Min fir
Abies firma – Momi fir
Abies beshanzuensis – Baishanzu fir
Abies holophylla – Manchurian fir
Abies chensiensis – Shensi fir
Abies chensiensis subsp. salouenensis – Salween fir
Abies pindrow – Pindrow fir
Abies ziyuanensis – Ziyuan fir
Section Amabilis
Section Amabilis is found in the Pacific Coast mountains in North America and Japan, in high rainfall areas.
Abies amabilis – Pacific silver fir
Abies mariesii – Maries' fir
Section Pseudopicea
A. fabri, Sichuan, China
Section Pseudopicea is found in the Sino – Himalayan mountains at high altitudes.
Abies delavayi – Delavay's fir
Abies delavayi var. nukiangensis
Abies delavayi var. motuoensis
Abies delavayi subsp. fansipanensis
Abies fabri – Faber's fir
Abies fabri subsp. minensis
Abies forrestii – Forrest's fir
Abies densa – Bhutan fir
Abies spectabilis – East Himalayan fir
Abies fargesii – Farges' fir
Abies fanjingshanensis – Fanjingshan fir
Abies yuanbaoshanensis – Yuanbaoshan fir
Abies squamata – flaky fir
Section Oiamel
Section Oiamel is found in central Mexico at high altitudes.
Abies religiosa – sacred fir
Abies hickelii – Hickel's fir
Abies hickelii var. oaxacana – Oaxaca fir
Section Nobilis
A. magnifica, California, USA
Section Nobilis (western U.S., high altitudes)
Abies procera – noble fir
Abies magnifica – red fir
Abies magnifica var. shastensis – Shasta red fir
Section Bracteata
Section Bracteata (California coast)
Abies bracteata – bristlecone fir
Section Incertae sedis
Section Incertae sedis
†Abies milleri – (Extinct) Early Eocene[1]
Uses and ecology
Wood of most firs is considered unsuitable for general timber use and is often used as pulp or for the manufacture of plywood and rough timber. Because this genus has no insect or decay resistance qualities after logging, it is generally recommended in construction purposes for indoor use only (e.g. indoor drywall on framing). Fir wood left outside cannot be expected to last more than 12 to 18 months, depending on the type of climate it is exposed to.
Nordmann fir, noble fir, Fraser fir and balsam fir are popular Christmas trees, generally considered to be the best for this purpose, with aromatic foliage that does not shed many needles on drying out. Many are also decorative garden trees, notably Korean fir and Fraser fir, which produce brightly coloured cones even when very young, still only 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) tall. Other firs can grow anywhere between 30 and 236 feet (9.1 and 71.9 m) tall. Fir Tree Appreciation Day is June 18.
Abies religiosa—sacred fir, is the overwinter host for the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). This insect species migrates from central and north United States and south Canada to Central Mexico (Michoacán and Estado de Mexico). During the fall migration, monarchs cover thousands of miles, with a corresponding multi-generational return north. The western North American population of monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains often migrates to sites in southern California but has been found in overwintering Mexican sites as well.[3]
[4]
Firs are used as food plants by the caterpillars of some Lepidoptera species, including Chionodes abella (recorded on white fir), autumnal moth, conifer swift (a pest of balsam fir), the engrailed, grey pug, mottled umber, pine beauty and the tortrix moths Cydia illutana (whose caterpillars are recorded to feed on European silver fir cone scales) and C. duplicana (on European silver fir bark around injuries or canker).
Abies spectabilis or Talispatra is used in Ayurveda as an antitussive (cough suppressant) drug.[5][6]
References
^ abSchorn, Howard; Wehr, Wesley (1986). "Abies milleri, sp. nov., from the Middle Eocene Klondike Mountain Formation, Republic, Ferry County, Washington". Burke Museum Contributions in Anthropology and Natural History. 1: 1–7.
^ abSeneta, Włodzimierz (1981). Drzewa i krzewy iglaste (Coniferous trees and shrubs) (in Polish) (1st ed.). Warsaw: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe (PWN). ISBN 978-83-01-01663-0.
^Groth, Jacob (10 November 2000). "Monarch Migration Study". Swallowtail Farms. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
…cleavage lines in that location. This morphologic pattern has been referred to as a "fir tree" or "Christmas tree" distribution. The eruption spreads centrifugally or from the top down over the course of a few…
…classic pityriasis rosea present with inflammatory macules and small patches in a "Christmas tree-like" distribution on the trunk. A larger herald patch that precedes the widespread eruption is often noted…
…is arranged along lines of skin tension. On the back, this classically results in a "Christmas tree-like" distribution. The scale is typically described as a collarette A larger, oval, erythematous plaque…
…and proximal extremities are prominent sites of involvement. The classic features of a "Christmas tree" pattern distribution and collarette of scale can be useful clues for the identification of pityriasis…
…female-pattern (affecting the crown, typically manifesting early as a midline part widened in a "Christmas tree" pattern) . Alternate cutaneous manifestations of hyperandrogenemia ("hirsutism equivalents"), like…
English Journal
Synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles from Abies spectabilis extract and its anticancer activity on bladder cancer T24 cells.
Wu T, Duan X, Hu C, Wu C, Chen X, Huang J, Liu J, Cui S.
Artificial cells, nanomedicine, and biotechnology. 2019 Dec;47(1)512-523.
In recent times, Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) synthesized from plant extracts and their anticancer activity have attracted significant attention. We report the green approach for the synthesis of AuNPs using extract from Abies spectabilis plant. In this study, the reaction parameters were optimized to
The Science of the total environment. 2019 Jul;672()296-304.
In order to understand the main driving factors of ozone (O) deposition we tested the hypothesis that sky conditions (cloudy, partly cloudy, and clear sky) modulate O flux in forest ecosystems via stomatal regulation. The hypothesis is based on the fact that complex microclimate conditions under clo
Differences in carbon isotope leaf-to-phloem fractionation and mixing patterns along a vertical gradient in mature European beech and Douglas fir.
Bögelein R, Lehmann MM, Thomas FM.
The New phytologist. 2019 Jun;222(4)1803-1815.
While photosynthetic isotope discrimination is well understood, the postphotosynthetic and transport-related fractionation mechanisms that influence phloem and subsequently tree ring δ C are less investigated and may vary among species. We studied the seasonal and diel courses of leaf-to-phloem δ
Are you looking for an evergreen tree for your landscape? Consider one of the fir trees. These are also a popular choice for use as a Christmas tree. ... Botanical Name: Abies grandis Other Common Names: Great silver fir, giant fir ...
