Abies nephrolepis

Pinaceae Abies nephrolepis (Trautv. ex Maxim.) Maxim.

Etymology
Abies refers to ‘to rise’; indicating large trees.
nephrolepis refers to ‘kidney scales’; referring to its kidney-shaped cone scales.

Colloquial Name
Khingan fir

Description
These trees can grow between 30 and 35 meters tall, with trunks reaching up to 1.2 meters in diameter. The trunk is straight and column-like, supporting a conical or oval-shaped crown. Older trees often develop densely branched, flat tops, sometimes resembling “stork’s nests.” The bark is smooth and light grey to greyish brown when young, but as the tree matures, it becomes darker and shallowly fissured.

The main branches spread out horizontally, with the upper ones angling upward and the lowest ones drooping. Smaller secondary branches grow horizontally in a dense pattern. The branchlets are slender and firm, beginning as yellowish-grey brown and turning grey over time. Their surface is ridged and grooved, with fine hairs in the grooves. The leaf scars are circular.

The vegetative buds are small, oval or cone-shaped, about 5 mm long and 4 mm wide, and coated with resin, especially toward the tip. The bud scales are triangular, blunt, and either brown or purplish red. They remain on the tree for several years. The leaves grow in a spiral arrangement along the shoots, spreading out in all directions but angling slightly forward. They cover the upper part of the shoot and measure between 1 and 2.5 cm long and about 2 mm wide. Their base is strongly twisted, and they are long and narrow with slightly rolled edges. The surface is a dull light green or grey-green, with pale greenish-white bands on the underside. The leaf tips vary in shape, sometimes notched, rounded, sharply pointed, or tapering to a fine point. Stomata, the small openings for gas exchange, are either absent or appear only near the tip on the upper surface but form two distinct bands below, separated by a midrib.

The pollen cones grow along the sides of the branches, clustered on the underside of the foliage. They are yellowish-green with purple pollen-producing structures. The seed cones also grow along the branches, standing upright on short stalks. They are often clustered together in groups and are cylindrical with a rounded tip. When young, they are usually reddish-purple, though some may rarely be green. As they mature, they turn purplish-brown and finally dull brown when fully ripe. They range from 4.5 to 7.5 cm long and 2 to 3.5 cm wide. Once the seeds are released, the central axis of the cone remains attached to the branch, forming a dark brown, narrow spire with a blackish-purple hue.

The seed scales are kidney-shaped, about 1 to 1.2 cm long and 1.5 to 1.8 cm wide in the middle of the cone. Their surface is smooth but often covered with thick, yellowish-white resin clumps. The exposed parts have a fine fuzz. The upper edge is either smooth or slightly jagged and curves inward, while the base is attached by a small stalk. The bracts, which sit behind the seed scales, are spoon-shaped with straight, pointed tips. They measure 1.4 to 2 cm long, with only the tips extending beyond the cone scales.

The seeds are obovate, meaning they are wider near the tip, and wedge-shaped, measuring about 5 mm long and 3 mm wide. They are blackish-brown or glossy black. The seed wings are short, axe-shaped with rounded edges, about 6 mm long and 5 mm wide, and are also blackish-brown or black.

Distribution

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TDWG Codes
3, 31, AMU, KHA, PRM, 36, CHM, CHN, CHN-HB, CHN-SA, 38, KOR, KOR-NK, KOR-SK

Habitat
The natural habitats for Abies nephrolepis are boreal forests, temperate forests. It is naturally found at an elevation of at least 2000 up to 2000 metres. Other conifers associated with Abies nephrolepis are:

USDA Hardiness zone – 3
Abies nephrolepis is hardy to USDA Zone 3 (Bannister & Neuner, 2001), meaning its frost tolerance lies somewhere in the range of -40C (-40F) to -34.4C (-30F).

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

• 1 Habitat Loss & Degradation
  • 1.1 Agriculture & Forestry
• 2 Overexploitation & Resource Use
  • 2.1 Logging & Wood Harvesting
• 5 Natural System Modifications
  • 5.1 Fire & Fire Suppression

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

Abies nephrolepis is further placed under Abietoideae. Abies nephrolepis is also placed under Pinaceae.

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