Abies firma

Pinaceae Abies firma Siebold & Zucc.

Etymology
Abies refers to ‘to rise’; indicating large trees.
firma refers to ‘firmus’; indicating the firmness of its needles.

Colloquial Name
Momi fir

Description
These trees can grow up to 50 meters tall, with a massive, straight trunk and a broad, open crown that is pyramidal when young but becomes domed or flat-topped in older trees. The bark starts off smooth and pinkish-gray with horizontal resin blisters but thickens with age, turning corky, rough, and deeply fissured at the base.

The main branches are long and spread outward, though in younger trees, they may angle upward. The smaller branches are thick and can either spread horizontally or grow at an upward angle. The twigs are firm and range in color from yellowish-gray to light brown. They have shallow grooves and are usually smooth, though young shoots may have fine hairs in the grooves. The scars left by fallen needles are circular or slightly angular.

The buds are shaped like small ovals or cones, reaching up to 10 millimeters long and 5 millimeters wide. They produce little to no resin. The outer bud scales are broad, conical, and pale reddish-brown with green edges, and they remain on the tree for several years. The needles grow in a spiral pattern and are arranged in 2 to 4 overlapping rows of different lengths. On branches with cones, they spread outward, with the uppermost needles curving upward. They are between 1 and 5 centimeters long and 2 to 4 millimeters wide, narrowing and twisting slightly at the base. The upper surface is smooth and shiny, ranging from light to deep green, while the underside is a pale, whitish-green. The needle tips can be blunt, slightly notched, or split in younger trees. The undersides have two broad bands of stomata separated by a central ridge, while the upper side has none or just a few stomata in a faint groove.

The pollen cones are solitary, growing from the axils of the needles. They dangle downward, measure 2.5 to 3 centimeters long, and are bright yellow. The seed cones grow laterally on short stalks, with a cluster of small scales at the base. They are upright and range from oval to cone-shaped, with a rounded tip. They start out yellowish-green or green with yellow bracts, then mature to a grayish-green before turning yellowish-brown when fully ripe. The central cone axis remains after the seeds are released, forming a narrow, brown, cone-shaped structure.

The cone scales are broad and fan-shaped, measuring 2 to 2.5 centimeters long and 2.8 to 3.2 centimeters wide. Their surface is smooth or faintly grooved, and they are either hairless or have a few fine hairs on exposed areas. The upper edges are thinner than the rest of the scale, curving inward and either smooth or slightly toothed. The base narrows into a short stalk. The bracts are narrow and lance-shaped, about 2 centimeters long, and extend beyond the scales, especially in the lower part of the cone. They remain straight rather than curving back.

The seeds are obovate, meaning they are wider toward the tip, and measure 6 to 8 millimeters long. They are light brown and attached to broad, wedge-shaped wings that range from 10 to 15 millimeters long and are yellowish-brown.

Distribution

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TDWG Codes
3, 38, JAP, JAP-HN, JAP-KY, JAP-SH

Habitat
The natural habitats for Abies firma are temperate forests. It is naturally found at an elevation of at least 1200 up to 1200 metres. Other conifers associated with Abies firma are:

USDA Hardiness zone – 6
Abies firma is hardy to USDA Zone 6 (Bannister & Neuner, 2001), meaning its frost tolerance lies somewhere in the range of -23.3C (-10F) to -17.8C (0F).

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

• 1 Habitat Loss & Degradation
  • 1.2 Urban & Infrastructure Development
  • 1.1 Agriculture & Forestry

IUCN Category – LC
According to the IUCN Red List, Abies firma 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 firma is Subsect. Firmae. The coordinate taxa for Abies firma are therefore:

Abies firma is further placed under Abietoideae. Abies firma 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
‘Bedgebury’, ‘Golden Hue’, ‘Halgren’, ‘Nana Horizontalis’, ‘Pendula’, ‘Sol’, ‘Variegata’