14-413: A fir is a type of evergreen coniferous tree. Fir , FIR or F.I.R. may also refer to: Fir See text Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus Abies ( Latin: [ˈabieːs] ) in the family Pinaceae . There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America , Eurasia, and North Africa . The genus
28-420: A narrow conic crown. The bark on young trees is smooth, grey, and has resin blisters, becoming orange-red, rough and fissured on old trees. The leaves are needle-like, 2–3.5 centimetres ( 3 ⁄ 4 – 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) long, glaucous blue-green above and below with strong stomatal bands, and an acute tip. They are arranged spirally on the shoot, but twisted slightly S-shaped to be upcurved above
42-1752: A very attractive combination valued in ornamental trees. The oldest pollen assignable to the genus dates to the Late Cretaceous in Siberia, with records of leaves and reproductive organs across the Northern Hemisphere from the Eocene onwards. A. bracteata (Don) Poit. A. mariesii Masters A. amabilis (Douglas ex Loudon) Forbes A. procera Rehder A. magnifica Murray A. concolor (Gordon) Lindley ex Hildebr. A. jaliscana (Martínez) Mantilla, Shalisko & Vázquez A. guatemalensis Rehder A. hickelii Flous & Gaussen A. flinckii Rushforth A. vejarii Martínez A. durangensis Martínez A. religiosa (Kunth) von Schlechtendal & von Chamisso A. hidalgensis Debreczy, Rácz & Guízar A. grandis (Douglas ex Don) Lindley A. lowiana (Gordon) Murray A. alba Miller A. pinsapo Boiss. A. cephalonica Loudon A. nebrodensis (Lojac.) Mattei A. nordmanniana (Steven) Spach A. numidica de Lannoy ex Carrière A. ×borisii-regis Mattf. A. cilicica (Antoine & Kotschy) Carrière A. lasiocarpa (Hooker) Nuttall A. ernestii Rehder A. balsamea (von Linné) Miller A. firma Siebold & Zuccarini A. sibirica Ledeb. A. fanjingshanensis Huang, Tu & Fang A. ziyuanensis Fu & Mo Abies magnifica Abies magnifica ,
56-440: Is A. alba , and an example species with matt 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 leaves are arranged spirally on
70-650: Is most closely related to Keteleeria , a small genus confined to eastern Asia. The genus name is derived from the Latin "to rise" in reference to the height of its species. The common English name originates with the Old Norse fyri or the Old Danish fyr . They are large trees, reaching heights of 10–80 metres (33–262 feet) 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
84-425: The bract scales of the cones are long and exserted, or short and hidden inside the cone. 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
98-663: The red fir or silvertip fir , is a western North American fir , native to the mountains of southwest Oregon and California in the United States . It is a high-elevation tree, typically occurring at 1,400–2,700 metres (4,600–8,900 ft) elevation, though only rarely reaching tree line . The name red fir derives from the bark color of old trees. Abies magnifica is a large evergreen tree typically up to 40–60 metres (130–200 ft) tall and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) trunk diameter, rarely to 76.5 m (251 ft) tall and 3 m (9 ft 10 in) diameter, with
112-447: 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, greyish green or bluish to silvery ( glaucous ), coated by wax with variable number of stomatal bands, and not always continuous. An example species with shiny green leaves
126-409: The leaves; noble fir leaves have a groove along the midrib on the upper side, while red fir does not show this. Red fir also tends to have the leaves less closely packed, with the shoot bark visible between the leaves, whereas the shoot is largely hidden in noble fir. Shasta red fir hybridizes with noble fir, with which it is both chemically and microscopically similar; some botanists treat the former as
140-403: 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 cedars , 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
154-466: The same species producing either green or purple cones: The cone scale bracts can be short and hidden in the mature cone, or long and exposed ('exserted'); this can vary even within a species, e.g. in Abies magnifica var. magnifica , the bracts are hidden, but in var. critchfieldii and var. shastensis , they are exserted. The bracts scales are often a different colour to the cone scales, which can make for
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#1732844650013168-456: The shoot. The cones are erect, 9–21 cm ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 – 8 + 1 ⁄ 4 in) long, yellow-green (occasionally purple), ripening brown and disintegrating to release the winged seeds in fall. There are three varieties: Red fir is very closely related to Abies procera ( noble fir), which replaces it further north in the Cascade Range . They are best distinguished by
182-562: The shoots, but by being twisted at their base, the way they spread from the shoot is diverse; in some species comb-like ('pectinate'), with the leaves flat on either side of the shoot (e.g. A. alba , A. grandis ), in others, the leaves remain radial (e.g. A. pinsapo ) Foliage in the upper crown on cone-bearing branches is different, with the leaves shorter, curved, and sometimes sharp. Firs differ from other conifers in having erect, cylindrical cones 5–25 cm (2–10 in) long that disintegrate at maturity to release
196-415: The winged seeds . In contrast to spruces , fir cones are erect; they do not hang, unless heavy enough to twist the branch with their weight. The mature cones are usually brown. When young in summer, they can be green: or reddish: or bloomed pale glaucous or pinkish: or purple to blue, sometimes very dark blue, almost black: Many species are polymorphic in cone colour, with different individuals of
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