Abies koreana

Pinaceae Abies koreana E.H. Wilson

Etymology
Abies refers to ‘to rise’; indicating large trees.
koreana refers to Korea.

Colloquial Name
Korean fir

Description
These trees grow between 15 and 18 meters tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 0.8 meters. The trunk is straight, cylindrical, and supports a broad, pyramidal crown. Young trees have smooth, thin bark with resin blisters, giving it a light gray color with a slight purplish tint. As the tree matures, the bark thickens, becoming rough and breaking into irregular plates near the base, turning a dark grayish-black color.

The main branches grow densely, even close to the ground, spreading out horizontally, with the lower branches curving downward. Higher up, the smaller branches spread outward and angle upward. The twigs are slender but firm, colored yellowish-gray or gray-green, with shallow grooves between the leaves. These grooves may have fine hairs when young, but they soon become smooth. The scars left by fallen leaves are circular.

The buds that produce new growth are small, rounded, and about 4 to 5 millimeters long. They are covered in sticky resin. Their protective scales are brown, thin, and rounded at the tip, and they stay on the tree for several years. The needles grow in a spiral pattern around the branches, spreading outward in all directions. Near the top of the tree and on cone-bearing branches, the needles are shorter and curve upward or backward. They range from 1 to 2.2 centimeters long and 2 to 2.5 millimeters wide. The base of each needle is slightly twisted or curved. They are long and narrow, sometimes widest near the tip, with slightly rolled edges. The upper surface is glossy dark green, while the underside has two white bands with a green midrib and margins. The tips may be notched, blunt, or occasionally pointed. Stomata, which control gas exchange, are mostly absent on the upper surface but form two broad bands separated by a midrib on the underside.

Pollen cones grow in clusters around the shoots. They are small, about 1 centimeter long, and yellowish, with bright scarlet structures that produce pollen. The seed cones grow upright, often in crowded clusters, even on the lower branches. They are cylindrical, measuring 4 to 7 centimeters long and 2.5 to 3 centimeters wide. The tip is rounded, slightly depressed, or covered in small bumps. When young, the cones are purple or violet-blue with greenish bracts. As they mature, they turn purplish-brown, with the bracts becoming light brown. When fully ripe, the cones take on a dull brown or purplish-brown color. After the seeds are released, the central axis of the cone remains on the tree as a narrow, dark brown structure.

The cone scales, which protect the seeds, are kidney-shaped or wing-like, measuring 1 to 1.2 centimeters in length and 1.2 to 1.6 centimeters in width. Their surface is smooth but covered with fine hairs. The upper edges are slightly jagged and curve inward, while the base is attached by a small stalk. The bracts, which are tiny structures between the cone scales, are broad and spoon-shaped with a notched tip, measuring 1.2 to 1.5 centimeters long. They extend beyond the cone scales and curve strongly backward.

The seeds are wedge-shaped, 4 to 6 millimeters long, and range in color from light to dark brown, often with a slight purple tint. Each seed has a small, wing-like extension that helps with wind dispersal. These seed wings are also wedge-shaped, 4 to 6 millimeters long, and light brown with a hint of purple.

Distribution

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TDWG Codes
3, 38, KOR, KOR-NK, KOR-SK

Habitat
The natural habitats for Abies koreana are temperate forests. It is naturally found at an elevation of at least 1900 up to 1900 metres. Other conifers associated with Abies koreana are:

USDA Hardiness zone – 5
Abies koreana is hardy to USDA Zone 5 (Bannister & Neuner, 2001), meaning its frost tolerance lies somewhere in the range of -28.9C (-20F) to -23.3C (-10F).

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

• 1 Habitat Loss & Degradation
  • 1.2 Urban & Infrastructure Development
• 3 Climate Change & Natural Disasters
  • 3.3 Habitat Shifting & Alteration
• 4 Invasive Species / Pathogens & Genetic Risks
  • 4.2 Problematic Native Species & Diseases

IUCN Category – EN
According to the IUCN Red List, Abies koreana has been assigned the status of EN(Endangered). This means that according to the Red List criteria, this species qualifies as Endangered and is very much at risk.

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

Abies koreana is further placed under Abietoideae. Abies koreana 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
‘Alpin Star’, ‘Aurea’, ‘Barabits Compact’, ‘Black Prince’, ‘Blaue Einz’, ‘Blauer Dragoner’, ‘Blauer Eskimo’, ‘Blauer Pfiff’, ‘Blaue Zwo’, ‘Blinsham Gold’, ‘Blue Emperor’, BLUE HIT, ‘Blue Magic’, ‘Blue Standard’, ‘Bonanza’, ‘Bonsai Blue’, ‘Brevifolia’, ‘Cis’, ‘Compact Dwarf’, CRYSTAL GLOBE, ‘Dark Hill’, ‘Dennis’, ‘Doni Tajuso’, ‘Eisregen’, ‘Fastigiata’, ‘Feldenbach’, ‘Flava’, ‘Fliegender Untertasse’, ‘Freudenberg’, ‘Frosty’, ‘Gait’, ‘Gelbbunt’, ‘Golden Beskid’, GOLDEAN DREAM, ‘Golden Glow’, ‘Goldener Traum’, ‘Golden Wonder’, ‘Grazil’, ‘Green Ball’, ‘Green Carpet’, ‘Green ‘n Cream’, ‘Grubele’, ‘Henk’s Garden Yellow’, ‘Horstmanns Silberlocke’, ‘Houtmeyer’, ‘Ice Breaker’, ‘Ice Regen’, ‘Inge’, ‘Inverleith’, ‘King’s Select’, ‘Kleiner Prinz’, ‘Knospenkönigin’, ‘Kohout’, ‘Kohouts Hexe’, KOHOUTS ICEBREAKER®, ‘Kristallkugel’, ‘Kubiczek’, ‘Lippetal’, ‘Little Sonja’, ‘Louis Houtmeyers’, ‘Luminetta’, ‘Lutea’, ‘N Degrees’, ‘Nadelkissen’, ‘Nana’, ‘Nanaimo’, ‘Nisbet’, ‘Oberon’, ‘Orange Glow’, ‘Ottostrasse’, ‘Pancake’, ‘Petite’, ‘Piccolo’, ‘Pinocchio’, ‘Prostrata’, ‘Prostrate Beauty’, ‘Renault’s Dwarf’, ‘Ry’, ‘Scherenbach’, ‘Schneestern’, ‘Schneverdingen’, ‘Schwedenkönig’, ‘Silberglanz’, ‘Silberkruger’, ‘Silber Mavers’, ‘Silberkugel’, ‘Silberlocke’, ‘Silberperl’, ‘Silberreif’, ‘Silbersmeltzer’, ‘Silberzwerg’, ‘Silver Show’, ‘Silver Star’, ‘Starker’s Dwarf’, ‘Stolwijk No. 2’, ‘Taiga’, ‘True Blue’, ‘Tundra’, ‘Variegata’, ‘Vengels’, ‘Verdener Dom’, ‘Wellenseind’, ‘Wüstemeyer HB2’