Fir, Subalpine or Alpine
Abies lasiocarpa
Pinaceae - Pine

Description

Leaves: Needles borne singly; 1" to 1-1/2" long; flattened in cross-section; evergreen; bluish-green.

Twigs/buds: Twigs similar to white fir. Buds orange-brown.

Flowers/fruit: Monoecious. Fruit a cone; 2" to 4" long; oblong; green to purple; borne upright on upper branches; scales deciduous.

Bark: Thin; smooth; gray; with resinous blisters; becoming shallowly furrowed on older trunks.

Wood: Moderate importance; similar to white fir.

General: Native to fairly high elevation, cool, moist sites from the southern Rockies to northwestern Canada, including Utah. Many native trees in Utah are dying due to insects, disease, drought, and old-age. Shade tolerant.

Landscape Use: Very narrow, spire-like canopy, often with many leaders. Seldom, if ever, planted in Utah's valleys and does not do well with heat or dry conditions. Native trees are sensitive to construction damage when present on building sites. Zones 1-5.

Cultivars: 'Compacta', 'Glauca', 'Glauca Compacta'.

Characteristics

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