Abies vejarii

Pinaceae Abies vejarii Martínez

Etymology
Abies refers to ‘to rise’; indicating large trees.
vejarii refers to Octavio Véjar Vázquez.

Colloquial Name
Vejar’s fir

Description
These trees grow between 35 and 40 meters tall, with trunks reaching up to 1.5 meters in diameter. The trunk is straight and cylindrical, supporting a broad conical or pyramidal crown that becomes more open as the tree ages. Young trees have smooth, thin grey bark, while older trees develop rough, scaly bark on the lower trunk, which becomes fissured and turns grey-brown.

The main branches are long and slender, spreading horizontally but angling upward near the top. Smaller branches follow a similar pattern. The young twigs are thin but firm, with a purplish-red color in their first year, later turning lighter reddish-brown or orange-brown. Their surface is nearly smooth with shallow grooves and remains free of hairs. Small, circular scars are left where old leaves have fallen.

The buds are small, rounded, about 3 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, and covered in a thick layer of resin. Their protective scales are triangular and ovate, light brown, and remain on the tree for several years. The leaves grow in a spiral pattern along the branches. The lower ones spread outward in two rows, while the others point forward, covering the shoot. On cone-bearing branches, the leaves spread in all directions. They are 1 to 2.5 cm long and 1.3 to 2 mm wide, slightly twisted or curved at the base. They are narrow, lance-shaped, with a shallow groove on the upper side and a flattened surface. The top of the leaf is grey-green or dark green, while the underside is whitish, with a green midrib and green margins. The tip of the leaf is pointed or slightly sharp. Stomata, the tiny pores that help with gas exchange, form a few to ten rows on the upper surface and two distinct bands on the underside, separated by the midrib.

Pollen cones grow on the sides of branches, forming small, crowded, nearly round clusters about 0.5 cm in size. They have reddish structures that produce pollen. The seed cones grow upright along the branches and are either on short stalks or almost attached directly. They have a barrel-shaped or oval appearance with a rounded or slightly flattened tip. The cones range from 6 to 15 cm long and 4 to 7 cm wide. When young, they are dark purple, later maturing into a purplish or bluish shade with brown tones, and eventually turning dark brown when fully ripe. Once the seeds are released, the cone’s central stalk remains as a brown, cylindrical structure with a conical tip.

The seed scales are fan-shaped with a wedge-like base, measuring 1.5 to 2 cm long and 2 to 2.5 cm wide at the middle of the cone. The surface is smooth with a fine layer of hairs on the exposed parts. The upper edge is smooth and slightly curves inward, while the base attaches to a short stalk. The bracts, small leaf-like structures beneath the seed scales, are long and narrow with a broader, triangular tip that has tiny teeth along the edges. They range from 1.7 to 2.5 cm in length. They are usually hidden inside the cone, but when they extend beyond the seed scales, they start out upright and later bend backward as the cone ripens.

The seeds are long and narrow, about 8 to 10 mm in length, and brown in color. Each seed has a broad, triangular wing, about 15 mm long and 12 mm wide, which is brown with a slight violet tint. The wing helps the seed disperse in the wind.

Subordinate Taxa
There exist 3 subordinate taxa for Abies vejarii:

Distribution

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TDWG Codes
7, 79, MXE, MXE-CO, MXE-NL, MXE-TA

Habitat
The natural habitats for Abies vejarii are temperate forests. It is naturally found at an elevation of at least 3300 up to 3300 metres. Other conifers associated with Abies vejarii are:

USDA Hardiness zone – 7
Abies vejarii is hardy to USDA Zone 7 (Bannister & Neuner, 2001), meaning its frost tolerance lies somewhere in the range of -17.8C (0F) to -12.2C (10F).

Species Continuity
The population trend for Abies vejarii is decreasing. There are ongoing threats for Abies vejarii and they are listed as follows:

• 5 Natural System Modifications
  • 5.1 Fire & Fire Suppression

IUCN Category – VU
According to the IUCN Red List, Abies vejarii has been assigned the status of VU(Vulnerable). This means that according to the Red List criteria, this species qualifies as Vulnerable and is of risk.

Superordinate Taxa
The nearest superordinate taxon for Abies vejarii is Subsect. Religiosae. The coordinate taxa for Abies vejarii are therefore:

Abies vejarii is further placed under Abietoideae. Abies vejarii is also placed under Pinaceae.

This map shows botanical records (points) for this taxon. By opening the map’s sidebar (collapsed by default) you can toggle visibility or change the basemap. By clicking on records, you reveal more information.

Cultivars
‘Mountain Blue’, ‘Serpent’