Abies genera Layout 1/31/08 7:08 AM Page 149 Pinaceae—Pine family A Abies P.Mill. fir D. George W. Edwards Dr. Edwards retired from the Canadian Forest Service’s Pacific Forestry Centre Growth habit, occurrence, and use. The name Abies • North America (Alaska to the Mexican border)— is derived from “abed,” the Old World Latin name for the 9 species silver fir (Dallimore and Jackson 1967; Weber 1987). • Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Theophrastus (371–286 BC) wrote of “silver firs” from Mt. El Salvador)—8 species (Martinez 1948) or 6 species Ida (today’s Kaz Dag, Turkey) being used in shipbuilding, (Liu 1971) which may have been the lumber of A. equi-trojani (Thanos • Mediterranean Basin, as well as lands bordering it, 2003b), but also may have been in reference to A. cepha- including southern and central Europe to the north, lonica Loud. and/or A. pectinata DC. (now A. alba P. Mill.) western Asia (Asia Minor, Caucasia, Syria, and (Amigues 1993, cited in Thanos (2003b). The name Abies Lebanon) to the east, and northwestern Africa first appeared in Pliny the elder’s Historiae Naturalis from (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia) to the south— about AD 77 (Liu 1971). 8 species Firs are long-lived, on average achieving reproductive • Siberia and eastern Asia (Amur, China, Korea, Japan, maturity at 20 years, with an average life-span of 60 years Taiwan, and the Himalayas)—17 species (Jacobs and others 1984). Fir trees in excess of 400 years old have been recorded in several species (Earle 1999), and The latitudinal range stretches some 53 degrees, from noble firs 600 to 700 years old are known (Arno and north of the Arctic Circle (north of 67°N, almost to Hammerly 1977; Franklin 1979; Franklin and Dyrness Arkhangel’sk, Russia, on the White Sea) with Siberian fir 1973), but such life spans are modest compared to those of (Liu 1971), to south of the Tropic of Cancer (south of other tree genera. Siberian fir (table 1) rarely, if ever, sur- 15°N, in El Salvador) with Guatemalan fir (FAO, in Anon. vives more than 200 years because the main stem decays out 1986). Fir has a long history in Mexico, with pollen from (Vidakovic 1991). In numbers of species, fir is second only the middle Pleistocene Epoch (5 million years ago) (Graham to pine but lags behind spruce (Picea spp.) and Douglas-fir 1999). The most widely distributed species is Siberian fir, (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) in terms of overall then balsam fir, followed by subalpine fir (Liu 1971). importance (Franklin 1982a). Globally, some species—including Algerian fir (FAO, in All fir species are indigenous to the Northern Anon. 1986), bristlecone fir (Legg 1953; Little 1975; Talley Hemisphere (table 1), being widely distributed over the 1974), Bulgarian fir (see table 1 footnotes for scientific Eastern and Western Hemispheres (Liu 1971) chiefly in the name), Grecian fir, Spanish fir, (FAO, in Anon. 1969), temperate and frigid regions, from sea level to altitudes of Sicilian fir (Arena 1959a&b, 1960; FAO, in Anon. 1986); 4,700 m. More than 70 species have been variously Gramuglio 1962; Köstler 1957) and Guatemalan fir (Anon. described (Liu 1971), although the number of those current- 1986; Donahue and others 1985; FAO, in Anon. 1986; ly recognized is between 39 (Liu 1971) or 40 (Vidakovic Salazar 1991; Veblen 1978)—have restricted ranges or are 1991), 46 (Farjon 1990), ~50 (Welch 1991), and 55 rare and, in some ecosystems, endangered and threatened (Rushforth 1987), depending on placements into varietal with extinction. No longer found on the island of Corsica, categories. Firs are found in 4 extensive regions (Franklin “silver fir” was described by Theophrastus (Thanos 2003b) 1974b; Liu 1971; Miller and Knowles 1989; Welch 1991; as growing taller and better there than anywhere else in cen- Young and Young 1992): tral and southern Italy. In 1986, 21 wild trees of Sicilian fir, a species that was considered extinct in 1900, were reported growing at Monte Scalone, Sicily; other plants grown from Abies • 149 Abies generaLayout1/31/087:08AMPage150 A 150 Table 1—Abies, fir: nomenclature and occurrence • Woody PlantSeedManual Woody Scientific name & synonym(s) Common name(s) Occurrence A. alba P.Mill. European silver fir, common silver fir, Mtns of central & S Europe, S to Corsica (~52°–38°N & A. argentea DC.; A. candicans Fisch. silver fir, Swiss pine ~3°W– 27°E) A. nobilis A. Dietr.; A. Pardei Gauss A. pectinata DC.; A. picea Lindl. A. taxifolia Desfont.; A. vulgaris Poir. A. amabilis (Dougl. ex Loud.) Dougl. ex Pacific silver fir, lovely fir, amabilis fir, SE Alaska, coastal British Columbia, Coastal & Cascade Ranges of Forbes Cascades fir, white fir, silver fir, Oregon & Washington & rarely in Klamath Mtns of California A. grandis A. Murr. sapin gracieux (41°–56°50’N) A. grandis var. densiflora Engelm. A. balsamea (L.) P.Mill. balsam fir, balsam, Canada balsam, Labrador & Newfoundland & S to New York to central Wisconsin A. aromatica Rafn. eastern fir, balm of Gilead, blister fir, & Minnesota, N & W to Alberta (59°–38°50’ N & 117°–53°W; A. balsamifera Mich. fir pine, silver pine generally S of 55°N, except in Alberta & Saskatchewan) A. minor Duham. ex Gord. A. bracteata (D. Don) D. Don ex Poit. bristlecone fir, Santa Lucia fir, Santa Lucia Mtns, Monterey Co., California (37°–36°N) A. venusta (Dougl.) K. Koch silver fir, fringed spruce A. cephalonica Loudon Grecian fir, Greek silver fir, Higher mtns of continental Greece from Epirus & Thessaly S A. panachaica Heildr.; A. lusombiana Loudon Cephalonian fir, Mt. Enos fir to Lagonia in Peloponnesos & SE to the Euboea;Turkey A. peloponesica Haage A. cilicica (Antoine & Kotschy) Carrière Cilician fir Turkey (Cilicia), N Syria, & Lebanon A. selinusia Carrière A. concolor var. concolor (Gord. & Glend.) white fir, white balsam, balsam fir, Rocky Mtns from S Idaho & W Wyoming to S New Mexico W Lindl. ex Hildebr. Rocky Mountain white fir, to N Baja California, Mexico, & S California N A. lowiana (Gord.) A. Murr. Colorado white fir, piño real blanco, to central & NE Oregon (44°45’–30°N & 124°–105°W) A. grandis var. lowiana (Gord.) Hoopes concolor fir A. concolor var. lowiana (Gord.) Lemm. A. concolor var. lowiana (Gord. & Glend.) Sierra white fir, Low white fir, Sierra Nevada of California & Nevada, Mt. Shasta, Siskiyou Mtns Lemmon Low silver fir, California white fir, in SW Oregon, from about the divide between the headwaters A. lowiana (Gord.) A. Murr. Pacific white fir of Umpqua & Rogue Rivers, Oregon, to mtns of Baja California Norte A. concolor (Gord. & Glend.) A. concolor var. lasiocarpa Engelm. & Sarg. A. grandis var. lowiana Mast. A. firma Sieb. & Zucc. Japanese fir, momi, momi fir, Mtns of central & S Honshu, Shikoku, & Kyushu, Japan (39°–30°N) A. bifida Sieb. & Zucc.; A. momi Sieb. Japanese silver fir A. fraseri (Pursh) Poir. Fraser fir, southern balsam fir, she-balsam, Appalachian Mtns of West Virginia,S Virginia, W North Carolina, ``humilis La Pilaye double fir balsam, double spruce, healing balsam & E Tennessee A. grandis (Dougl. ex D. Don) Lindl. grand fir, lowland white fir, white fir, W Montana & N Idaho to S British Columbia, A. amabilis A. Murr.; A. excelsior (Franco) balsam fir, great silver fir, Oregon fir, Vancouver Island, A. gordoniana Carr. western white fir, western balsam, S to Sonoma Co. in coastal California & E Oregon A. lasiocarpa Lindl. & Gord. sapin grandissime, sapin du Vancouver A. guatemalensis Rehd. Guatemalan fir, Guatemala fir, Mtns of Guatemala, S Mexico, El Salvador; Honduras A. tacanensis Lund. paxaque, pinabete, romerillo (19°30’–14°50’N & 104°–91°W) A. guatemalensis var. tacanensis (Lund.) Mart. A. guatemalensis var. jaliscans Mart. Abies generaLayout1/31/087:08AMPage151 Table 1—Abies, fir: nomenclature and occurrence (continued) Scientific name & synonym(s) Common name(s) Occurrence A. holophylla Maxim. Manchurian fir, needle fir, Khingan Mnts, & N part of Hebei* (N China Highlands), China; S. Sikhote Sino-Korean fir Alin Mnts, Russia; Korean peninsula including Cheju Island (33°30’–49°N) A. homolepis Sieb. & Zucc. Nikko fir, urajiro-momi, Mtns of central Honshu & Shikoku, Japan (37°–33°30’N) A. brachyphylla Maxim. Dake-momi, Nikko-momi A. koreana E.H.Wilson Korean fir Confined to the volcanic island of Cheju & the Chiri-san Mtns, A. nephrolepis Nakai South Korea A. lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. subalpine fir, alpine fir, balsam fir, W Northwest Territories,Yukon, & SE Alaska, S through British A. bifolia A. Murr.; A. sub-alpina Engelm. white fir, piño real blanco de la sierras, Columbia, SE Alberta to Oregon & in Rocky Mtns to Arizona A. sub-alpina var. fallax Engelm. sapin concolore & New Mexico; local in N California & NE Nevada (64°30’–32°25’N & 105°–145°W) A. lasiocarpa var. arizonica (Merriam) corkbark fir, Rocky Mountain SE Arizona E to S central New Mexico, & N to SW Lemmon subalpine fir, Rocky Mountain alpine fir, Colorado; reported locally in central Colorado A. bifolia (A. Murr.); A. subalpina Engelm. alamo de la sierra,Arizona fir A. magnifica A. Murr. California red fir, red fir, golden fir, Sierra Nevada, S Cascade Range, & N Coast Range in A. campylocarpa A. Murr. white fir, red bark fir, magnificent fir California & adjacent Nevada (43°35’–35°40’N A. nobilis var. magnifica Kell. A. mariesii Mast. Maries fir, Toddomatsu fir, Mtns of N & central Honshu, Japan (41°–35°N) A. mayriana Miyabe & Kudo Aomori-todo-matsu, O-shirabiso A. nebrodensis (Lojac.) Mattei Sicilian fir, Abete delle Nebrodi Monte Cervo, Polizzo; Monti Nebrodi & Monte Scalane, Sicily A. pectinata Gilibert var. nebrodensis Lojac. A. alba Mill. var. nebrodensis (Lojac.) Svob. A. nephrolepis (Trautv. ex Maxim.) Maxim. Manchurian fir, Khingan fir, Siberian E Siberia, through Lesser Khingan Mtns, Manchuria,W to Kansu A.