Pinaceae Abies alba Mill.
Etymology
Abies refers to ‘to rise’; indicating large trees.
alba refers to ‘white’ / ‘bright’.
Colloquial Name
Silver fir
Description
These trees can grow up to 55 (sometimes even 60) meters tall with a trunk diameter of about 2 to 2.5 meters. The trunk is straight and sturdy, with a single main stem. The crown starts off conical but flattens out like a “stork’s nest” in older trees. The bark is smooth and grayish when young, but as the tree ages, it becomes rough, scaly, and fissured, turning light to dark grayish brown.
The branches grow in different directions: the lower ones stretch out horizontally or slightly downward, while the upper branches angle upward. The smaller twigs are slender and flexible, though they become firmer on branches that bear cones. They are yellowish-gray or gray, with a slightly striated surface and a fine layer of short, yellowish or brown hairs—though some may be hairless. The marks where leaves were attached are broadly oval or circular.
The buds are small, oval or cone-shaped, around 6 mm long and 4 mm wide. They are usually not sticky, though they may have a bit of resin, especially on cone-bearing branches. The bud scales are broad, rounded at the tips, brown in color, and stay on the tree for several years. The leaves (needles) grow in a spiral pattern. On regular branches, they spread out in two side-by-side rows, while on fast-growing shoots and cone-bearing branches, they radiate outward. They range from about 1.2 to 3.5 cm long and 1.5 to 2.6 mm wide. The base of each needle is slightly twisted, and they are long, flat, and grooved. The upper side is glossy dark green, while the underside is whitish green with two distinct bands of stomata (tiny pores for gas exchange) separated by a midrib. The tip is slightly notched but may be blunt or sharp on cone-bearing branches.
The pollen cones are small, about 2 cm long, packed closely together on the branches. They are greenish-yellow with purplish-red scales that release pollen. The seed cones grow upright on short, slightly curved stalks. When young, they are yellowish-green with a hint of purple, but as they mature, they turn light brown or reddish-brown. They are quite large, measuring 10 to 20 cm long and 3 to 6 cm wide. The cone’s central axis remains on the tree after the seeds are released and is narrow, conical, and dark brown.
The scales that make up the cone are broad and cup-shaped, with the upper ones being more wedge-shaped. The surface is smooth and often has a fine, powdery texture, especially on the exposed parts. The base of each scale extends downward on a slender stalk. The bracts (small leaf-like structures on the cones) are long and narrow with a pointed tip, measuring 2.5 to 4 cm long. They extend beyond the scales and curve slightly backward when mature.
The seeds are wedge-shaped and angular, about 7 to 9 mm long, with a yellowish-brown color. They have flat, reddish-yellow wings that help them disperse in the wind, measuring about 10 to 15 mm long.
Distribution
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TDWG Codes
1, 11, AUT, AUT-AU, AUT-LI, CZE, CZE-CZ, CZE-SL, GER, HUN, POL, SWI, 12, COR, FRA, FRA-FR, SPA, SPA-AN, SPA-SP, 13, ALB, BUL, GRC, ITA, ITA-IT, ROM, YUG, YUG-BH, YUG-CR, YUG-KO, YUG-MA, YUG-MN, YUG-SE, YUG-SL, 14, UKR, UKR-UK
Habitat
The natural habitats for Abies alba are temperate forests. It is naturally found at an elevation of at least 2000 up to 2000 metres. Other conifers associated with Abies alba are:
USDA Hardiness zone – 4
Abies alba is hardy to USDA Zone 4 (Bannister & Neuner, 2001), meaning its frost tolerance lies somewhere in the range of -34.4C (-30F) to 28.9C (-20F).
Species Continuity
The population trend for Abies alba is stable. There are ongoing threats for Abies alba and they are listed as follows:
IUCN Category – LC
According to the IUCN Red List, Abies alba has been assigned the status of LC(Least Concern). This means that according to the Red List criteria, this species is not qualified as threatened.
Superordinate Taxa
The nearest superordinate taxon for Abies alba is Sect. Abies. The coordinate taxa for Abies alba are therefore:
Abies alba is further placed under Abietoideae. Abies alba 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
‘Argan’, ‘Aurea’, ‘Badenweiler’, ‘Barabits Spreading’, ‘Brevifolia’, ‘Brinar’, ‘Bystřička’, ‘Columnaris’, ‘Compacta’, ‘Contorta’, ‘Elegans’, ‘Fastigiata’, ‘Fastigiata Metensis’, ‘Fastigiata Stricta’, ‘Green Spiral’, ‘Havel’, ‘Hedge’, ‘Hiedge’, ‘Hochstuckli’, ‘Holden Arboretum WB’, ‘Iberegg’, ‘Ibergeregg’, ‘Kamenná Lhota’, ‘King’s Dwarf’, ‘Kladská’, ‘Kladsko’, ‘Kroc’, ‘Krymlov’, ‘Laja’, ‘Lucja’, ‘Maraton’, ‘Massonii’, ‘Metensis’, ‘Microphylla’, ‘Mladá Boleslav’, ‘Nana’, ‘Nana Compacta’, ‘Pectinana Compacta’, ‘Pendula’, ‘Pendula Gracilis’, ‘Pygmy’, ‘Pyramidalis’, ‘Scarabantia’, ‘Schwarzwald’, ‘Šejna’, ‘Strěla’, ‘Stricta’, ‘Svatá Hora’, ‘Tortuosa’, ‘Umbraculifera’, ‘Variegata’, ‘Veselý’, ‘Virgata’, ‘Visely’, ‘Zahaj’
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