Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica

Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.

By Antony Jauregui, Native Plants of Arizona 2009
Common names: Subalpine fir, Corkbark fir , Rocky Mountain (sub)alpine fir (1).
Family: Pinaceae (1)
Synonymy: Abies bifolia A. Murray (1), Abies subalpina Engelmann (2)
Etymology: Abies comes from the Latin name for silver fir. Lasiocarpa is Latin for woolly fruit probably referring to the fact that it is smoother than a pine cone. (3)

Identification
Growth form: Perennial tree; tall. Monoecious. (4)
Stem: The trunk can be 50 m tall. Primary branches whorled on a monopodial trunk . Bark is Gray, thin, smooth, with resin blisters; var. arizonica has thickened, 'corky' bark that is white to grey and deeply furrowed (2)
Leaves: Leaves 11-31 × 1.25-2 mm, spiraled and turned upward, flexible; cross section flat, grooved on the upper surface. Upper surface light green to blue-green, usually glaucous.
Female Cones : Dark purple-blue to gray-purple with a rounded apex, sessile, 5-12 × 2-4 cm. Cone scales 1.5 × 2.5 cm, densely pubescent; bracts included (specimens with exserted, reflexed bracts are insect infested). Seeds 5-7 × 2-3 mm, brown with a light brown wing about 1.5 times as long as the nut (2). Cones not persistent.

Ecology
Life history : Monoecious perennial Tree (4).
Native/introduced: Native (1).
Photosynthetic pathway: C3.
Phenology: Evergreen. Pollen producing cones appear in spring and early summer while the seed producing cones mature in September and October
Distribution: A. lasiocarpa is found in spruce-fir forests at 7000 ft elevation and higher in the Coconino, Apache, Pima, and Graham Counties in Arizona . Also in: Washington , Oregon , California , Idaho , Montana , Wyoming , Colorado , New Mexico , Arizona , Utah and Nevada . In Canada it if found in Yukon , Northwest Territories , British Columbia , and Alberta.(1)

Uses
Often used as a Christmas tree.

Notes
There are two varieties of Abies lasiocarpa. The variety in northern Arizona is var. arizonica, originally described from Arizona; it also occurs in New Mexico and Colorado and is easily recognized by its characteristic spongy, cork-like bark.

References

1. USDA, NRCS. (2009). The PLANTS Database . Retrieved Oct. 6, 2009 , from http://plants.usda.gov.

2. Christopher J. Earle (2009) The Gymnosperm Database. Retrieved Oct. 6, 2009 , from http://www.conifers.org

3. Daves Garden. (2009) Botanary. Retrieved Oct. 3, 2009 , from http://davesgarden.com/guides/botanary/

4. Paghat Ratgirl (2009) Paghat Garden : Abies lasiocarpa. Retreived October 6, 2009 , from http://www.paghat.com/alpinefir.html

Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. By Antony Jauregui, Native Plants of Arizona 2009 Common names: Subalpine fir, Corkbark fir , Rocky Mountain (sub)alpine fir (1). Family: Pinaceae (1) Synonymy: Abies bifolia A. Murray (1), Abies subalpina Engelmann (2) Etymology: Abies comes from the Latin name for silver fir. Lasiocarpa is Latin for woolly fruit probably referring to the fact that it is smoother than a pine cone. (3) Identification Growth form: Perennial tree; tall. Monoecious. (4) Stem: The trunk can be 50 m tall. Primary branches whorled on a monopodial trunk . Bark is Gray, thin, smooth, with resin blisters; var. arizonica has thickened, 'corky' bark that is white to grey and deeply furrowed (2) Leaves: Leaves 11-31 × 1.25-2 mm, spiraled and turned upward, flexible; cross section flat, grooved on the upper surface. Upper surface light green to blue-green, usually glaucous. Female Cones : Dark purple-blue to gray-purple with a rounded apex, sessile, 5-12 × 2-4 cm. Cone scales 1.5 × 2.5 cm, densely pubescent; bracts included (specimens with exserted, reflexed bracts are insect infested). Seeds 5-7 × 2-3 mm, brown with a light brown wing about 1.5 times as long as the nut (2). Cones not persistent. Ecology Life history : Monoecious perennial Tree (4). Native/introduced: Native (1). Photosynthetic pathway: C3. Phenology: Evergreen. Pollen producing cones appear in spring and early summer while the seed producing cones mature in September and October Distribution: A. lasiocarpa is found in spruce-fir forests at 7000 ft elevation and higher in the Coconino, Apache, Pima, and Graham Counties in Arizona . Also in: Washington , Oregon , California , Idaho , Montana , Wyoming , Colorado , New Mexico , Arizona , Utah and Nevada . In Canada it if found in Yukon , Northwest Territories , British Columbia , and Alberta.(1) Uses Often used as a Christmas tree. Notes There are two varieties of Abies lasiocarpa. The variety in northern Arizona is var. arizonica, originally described from Arizona; it also occurs in New Mexico and Colorado and is easily recognized by its characteristic spongy, cork-like bark. References 1. USDA, NRCS. (2009). The PLANTS Database . Retrieved Oct. 6, 2009 , from http://plants.usda.gov. 2. Christopher J. Earle (2009) The Gymnosperm Database. Retrieved Oct. 6, 2009 , from http://www.conifers.org 3. Daves Garden. (2009) Botanary. Retrieved Oct. 3, 2009 , from http://davesgarden.com/guides/botanary/ 4. Paghat Ratgirl (2009) Paghat Garden : Abies lasiocarpa. Retreived October 6, 2009 , from http://www.paghat.com/alpinefir.html