An African Grows in Boston

Kyle Port

he Arnold Arboretum’s Collec- Described by French botanist Louis Charles tion offers visitors an opportunity to Trabut in 1906 as A. marocana, the Moroccan Texplore gymnosperms collected from fir is confined to the Rif Mountain Range of around the world. While Eastern Asian, Euro- Morocco, growing at altitudes between 4,600 pean, and North American species dominate and 6,900 feet (1,400 to 2,100 meters). The cal- the collection, a solitary Moroccan fir, Abies careous soil of this region supports associated pinsapo var. marocana, stands as an exceptional taxa, and notes from the Arnold Arboretum’s North African taxon. collecting trip detail an open fir forest contain- Grown from collected by former Arbo- ing Cedrus atlantica, Acer (A. opulus ssp. his- retum propagator Rob Nicholson on Mt. panicum, A. campestre, A. monspessulanum), Tisouka near Chefchaouen, Morocco, in 1982, and Paeonia (P. coriaceae var. maroccana). specimen 1435-82-A has thrived undamaged in Rare in cultivation, the International Union the landscape for 15 years. It is one of two for Conservation of Nature and Natural of accession 1435-82 that were moved from the Resources considers Abies pinsapo var. maro- Arboretum’s Dana Greenhouse to the grounds cana to be a “near threatened” species, an indi- on September 21, 1993. One plant did not sur- cator that it could become threatened in the vive transplantation and was noted as dead in wild in the near future. Human activities (log- the spring of 1994. The lone survivor, which was ging, expansion of cultivated areas, population approximately 4.3 feet (1.3 meters) at the time of growth) and climate change may further restrict transplant, is now a stunning exemplar at 28 feet the range of this taxon. However, preservation (8.5 meters) tall with a DBH (diameter at breast efforts are ongoing and the establishment of the height) of 12.6 inches (32 centimeters). Talassemtane National Park, which contains Conical in youth, the tidy habit of this speci- the only remaining Moroccan fir forest, was cel- men has opened slightly over the years to reveal ebrated by conservation organizations in 2004. smooth gray bark. Radially arranged needles persist for 11 to 13 years, giving even older Related species: branches an armored appearance. The dark Abies pinsapo ‘Glauca’, blue Spanish fir, is green needles are streaked with 7 to 11 silvery also represented in the Arboretum’s collection stomatic lines on the upper surface; the lower (accession 192-42-A, obtained from W.B. Clarke surface is marked with two pronounced stom- and Company, San Jose, California). Planted atic bands on either side of the midrib. Unlike in the fall of 1954, this blue-hued is the characteristically soft-to-the-touch foliage topped with dozens of cones this year. Sepa- of most Abies, the needles of Abies pinsapo var. rated from the Moroccan fir by the Straits of marocana have sharply pointed apices, mak- Gibraltar, the Spanish Fir (Abies pinsapo var. ing the foliage far less friendly to fingers. The pinsapo) is endemic to the Sierra de Ronda in upright cylindrical cones typical of the species Southern Spain. have not yet been observed on this specimen but can be expected soon; sexual maturity for Moroccan fir is typically reached when the trees Kyle Port is Manager of Plant Records at the are between 25 and 35 years old. Arnold Arboretum.