Abies sachalinensis

Pinaceae Abies sachalinensis (F. Schmidt) Mast.

Etymology
Abies refers to ‘to rise’; indicating large trees.
sachalinensis refers to the Russian Island of Sakhalin.

Colloquial Name
Sakhalin fir

Description
These trees grow between 25 and 30 meters tall, with trunks reaching up to one meter in diameter. The trunk is straight and cylindrical, with a broad pyramidal crown that often flattens out in older trees. Dead branches tend to remain attached to the trunk for a long time. The bark is smooth and grey with a brownish tint in younger trees, sometimes showing small resin blisters. As the tree ages, the lower trunk develops rough, irregular plates that are greyish-brown.

The main branches are long and slender, mostly growing upward, while the lower ones spread out horizontally. Smaller branches follow a similar pattern. The twigs are thin and firm, ranging in color from reddish-brown to brown or sometimes greyish-brown. They have faint ridges and shallow grooves, with tiny reddish-brown hairs in the grooves. The scars left by fallen leaves are small and circular.

The buds are small, oval, and very resinous. The bud scales are reddish-brown and remain on the tree for several years. The leaves grow in a spiral pattern around the branches, spreading in all directions. On the upper branches, they lean slightly forward and overlap to cover the shoot, while on cone-bearing branches, they are slightly more upward-facing. They range from 1.2 to 3.5 cm in length and are about 1 to 1.2 mm wide. Their base is often strongly twisted or curved. The surface is glossy dark green, while the underside has two pale greenish-white bands. The tips of the leaves can be slightly notched or blunt. Stomata, which allow gas exchange, are either absent or only present near the tip on the upper surface, while on the underside, they form two narrow bands separated by a central ridge.

The pollen cones grow along the sides of the branches and are densely clustered on the undersides of the shoots. They are small, about 1 cm long, yellowish in color, with red pollen-producing structures. The seed cones also grow on the sides of the branches and are often closely grouped together. They are almost stalkless and stand upright, with an elongated oval or cylindrical shape and a tip that is either rounded or slightly pointed. These cones measure between 5 and 8 cm in length and 2 to 3 cm in width. When young, they range from light to dark purple, with greenish or reddish bracts beneath the scales. As they mature, the cones become dark brown, and the bracts turn brown as well. The central axis of the cone remains after the seeds are released, forming a narrow, cone-shaped structure that is blackish-purple.

The seed scales, which protect the developing seeds inside the cone, are kidney-shaped and measure about 1 cm long and 1.6 cm wide at the middle of the cone. Their surface is smooth, with fine hairs on the exposed parts. The upper edge is unbroken and curves inward, while the base narrows into a small stalk. The bracts behind the seed scales are somewhat squared or heart-shaped at the tip, measuring 1 to 1.3 cm long. They either stay hidden inside the cone or extend slightly beyond the seed scales, often curving backward. In mature cones, the upper bracts are often completely enclosed.

The seeds are wedge-shaped, about 6 mm long, with a glossy brown surface speckled with black spots. Each seed has a broad, slightly angled wing, measuring 5 mm in both length and width, with a dark purplish-black color. This wing helps the seeds disperse by wind.

Subordinate Taxa
There exist 4 subordinate taxa for Abies sachalinensis:

Distribution

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TDWG Codes
3, 31, KAM, KUR, SAK, 38, JAP, JAP-HK

Habitat
The natural habitats for Abies sachalinensis are temperate forests. It is naturally found at an elevation of at least 1 up to 1700 metres. Other conifers associated with Abies sachalinensis are:

USDA Hardiness zone – 5
Abies sachalinensis 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 sachalinensis is stable. There are ongoing threats for Abies sachalinensis 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 sachalinensis 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 sachalinensis is Subsect. Medianae. The coordinate taxa for Abies sachalinensis are therefore:

Abies sachalinensis is further placed under Abietoideae. Abies sachalinensis 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
‘Gedreht’, ‘Manabe Column’