Abies grandis

Pinaceae Abies grandis (Douglas ex D. Don) Lindl.

Etymology
Abies refers to ‘to rise’; indicating large trees.
grandis refers to the great heights it can become in its natural habitat.

Colloquial Name
Grand fir, Lowland fir, Giant fir

Description
These towering trees can grow between 80 and 100 meters tall, with trunks reaching 2 to 3 meters in diameter. Their trunks are straight, column-like, and remain unbranched for a considerable height. The crown is narrow and conical. Young trees have thin, smooth, gray-brown bark covered in resin blisters, but as they mature, the bark breaks into small plates.

The main branches are long and extend horizontally, with the lower ones curving downward. The smaller branches spread outward or angle upward near their tips. Young twigs are slender, firm, and range in color from olive green to reddish brown. They have narrow, straight ridges between the needles and are covered in fine hairs at first but become smooth by their third year. The scars left by fallen needles are small and circular.

The buds are round, measuring 1.5 to 2 millimeters in both length and width, and are slightly sticky with resin. Their protective scales are triangular, blunt at the tip, reddish-brown, and remain on the tree for two to three years. The needles are arranged in a spiral along the branches and spread outward in a comb-like pattern. Those at the top of the branch tend to be shorter than the ones below, while on cone-bearing branches, they angle upward. They are typically 3 to 5 centimeters long but can range from 2 to 6 centimeters, with a width of 2 to 3 millimeters. At the base, they are strongly twisted, giving them a narrow, flattened shape with slightly curled edges. The upper surface is dark and glossy green, while the underside is greenish white. Their tips are usually slightly notched or rounded, especially on cone-bearing branches. Stomata, the tiny openings used for gas exchange, are only found on the lower surface in two bands separated by a central ridge.

The pollen cones grow along the lower sides of branches, emerging from the axils of the needles. They are small, about 1.2 to 1.8 centimeters long, and yellowish-green. The seed cones grow upright on the branches and have very short stalks, making them appear almost directly attached. They are oblong and cylindrical with a rounded tip, measuring between 7 and 12 centimeters long and 3 to 4 centimeters wide. When young, they are light green with a hint of purple but mature into a dull gray-brown color, often covered in sticky resin. Once the seeds are released, the cone’s central axis remains as a narrow, brown, conical structure.

The cone scales are broad and fan-shaped, measuring about 2 to 2.5 centimeters long and 2.5 to 3 centimeters wide at the middle of the cone. Their surface is smooth, though young cones may have fine hairs. The upper edges are slightly curved inward, and the base tapers into a short stalk. The bracts, which are the small structures between the cone scales, are short, rectangular, and measure about 1 to 1.5 centimeters in length. They remain completely hidden within the cone and have tiny pointed tips.

The seeds are wedge-shaped, about 8 millimeters long and 5 millimeters wide, with a pale brown color. They are attached to broad, asymmetrical wings that measure between 10 and 15 millimeters in length. These wings are also pale brown but often have a slight purple tint.

Distribution

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TDWG Codes
7, 71, BRC, 73, IDA, MNT, ORE, WAS, 76, CAL

Habitat
The natural habitats for Abies grandis are temperate forests. It is naturally found at an elevation of at least 1 up to 1800 metres. Other conifers associated with Abies grandis are:

USDA Hardiness zone – 6
Abies grandis 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 grandis is stable. There are ongoing threats for Abies grandis and they are listed as follows:

• 2 Overexploitation & Resource Use
  • 2.1 Logging & Wood Harvesting

IUCN Category – LC
According to the IUCN Red List, Abies grandis 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 grandis is Sect. Grandis. The coordinate taxa for Abies grandis are therefore:

Abies grandis is further placed under Abietoideae. Abies grandis 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
‘Aurea’, ‘Chèvreloup’, ‘Compacta’, ‘Johnsonii’, ‘Louňovice’, ‘Pendula’, ‘Reggear’, ‘Van Dedem’s Dwarf’, ‘W.C. Gaffney’