Abies fabri ssp. fabri

Pinaceae Abies fabri ssp. fabri (Mast.) Craib

Etymology
Abies refers to ‘to rise’; indicating large trees.
fabri refers to the plant collector Ernst Faber.

Colloquial Name
Faber’s fir

Description
These trees can grow up to 40 meters tall, with a straight, column-like trunk that remains unbranched at the base. The crown is usually broad and pyramidal, though older trees often develop a flatter top. The bark is smooth and gray when young but becomes deeply fissured near the base as the tree ages.

The main branches are long, spreading horizontally but angling slightly upward near the top of the tree. The smaller secondary branches spread outward or rise at an angle. The twigs are light brown, round in shape, and have noticeable ridges and grooves between the needle attachments. They are mostly hairless, though some grooves may have a few dark hairs. The scars left by fallen needles are circular.

The buds are small, oval-shaped, and coated in sticky resin. Their scales are broad, rounded at the tip, and greenish-purple in color, remaining on the tree for several years. The needles are arranged in a spiral along the twigs, spreading outward in a comb-like pattern on the lower branches and more widely spaced on the upper ones. On cone-bearing branches, they are arranged more radially. They range from 1.5 to 3 centimeters long and have a slightly twisted or curved base. The shape is long and narrow, either straight or slightly curved, with edges that curl downward. The upper surface is green, while the lower surface has two white bands separated by a central ridge. The tip is usually notched or split, but on cone-bearing branches, it may be either rounded or pointed.

The pollen cones grow on the sides of branches, hanging downward from the bases of the needles. They measure between 2 and 3.5 centimeters long and are yellow with violet or purplish-blue pollen-producing structures. The seed cones grow upright on short stalks about half a centimeter long. They are oval or more barrel-shaped, with a rounded or slightly depressed tip, and range from 5 to 10 centimeters in length and 3.5 to 5 centimeters in width. When young, they are purplish blue, maturing to a brownish-blue color. After the seeds are released, the central cone stalk remains on the tree as a tapered, purplish-brown structure.

The cone scales are fan-shaped with small, ear-like extensions at the base. They measure about 1.4 to 1.8 centimeters long and 1.6 to 2 centimeters wide in the middle of the cone. The surface is smooth but has fine hairs on the exposed parts, and the outer edge is slightly thickened and curved inward. The base narrows into a small stalk. The bracts inside the cone are elongated and spade-shaped, measuring 1 to 1.5 centimeters long. Only the tips extend beyond the cone scales, curving backward or sharply reflexed.

The seeds are oval and about 8 millimeters long and 4 millimeters wide, with a light brown color. They are partially covered by a dark membrane that extends into a wedge-shaped wing, measuring about 10 by 6 millimeters, and is blackish brown.

Subordinate Taxa
There exist 2 subordinate taxa for Abies fabri:

Distribution

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TDWG Codes
3, 36, CHC, CHC-SC

Habitat
The natural habitats for Abies fabri ssp. fabri are temperate forests. It is naturally found at an elevation of at least 3600 up to 3600 metres. Other conifers associated with Abies fabri ssp. fabri are:

USDA Hardiness zone – 7
Abies fabri ssp. fabri 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 fabri ssp. fabri is decreasing. There are ongoing threats for Abies fabri ssp. fabri and they are listed as follows:

• 1 Habitat Loss & Degradation
  • 1.4 Air / Soil & Water Pollution
• 2 Overexploitation & Resource Use
  • 2.1 Logging & Wood Harvesting

IUCN Category – VU
According to the IUCN Red List, Abies fabri ssp. fabri 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 fabri is Subsect. Delavayianae. The coordinate taxa for Abies fabri are therefore:

Abies fabri ssp. fabri is further placed under Abietoideae. Abies fabri ssp. fabri is also placed under Pinaceae.

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