white fir
(Abies concolor)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
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| NatureServe | N5 - Secure |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
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White fir is a very large tree, usually 70′ to 160′ tall and 18″ to 65″ in diameter at breast height. The largest known (record) tree is 192′ tall and 106.6″ in diameter. It occurs at high elevations in the Rocky Mountains, mostly on north-facing slopes. The crown on young trees is narrow and pointed. It flattens out, becoming dome-like, as the tree ages. The principle branches are short and horizontal. The needles are flat, flexible, and 1½″ to 2¾″ long. The base of the needle is more or less straight and extends at right angles to the twig. On the lower branches, the tip of the needle is usually rounded, sometimes pointed, never notched. There are from 7 to 18 rows, usually 12 rows, of pores (stomata) on both the upper and lower surfaces. The needles are light bluish-green on both surfaces, including midleaf, due to a whitish, waxy coating (glaucous). The coating may cover the entire surfaces or be restricted to two bands over the stomata. The species epithet concolor means “of uniform color”, and refers to the upper and lower surfaces of the needles bieng the same color. They have a citrussy odor when crushed. The seed cones are cylindric, 2¾″ to 4¾″ long, 1¼″ to 1¾″ wide, and olive green. They are held upright from the twig. |
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Height |
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70′ to 160′ |
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Similar Species |
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Habitat |
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Mostly north-facing slopes of the Rocky Mountains at high elevation. |
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Ecology |
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Pollination |
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May to June at low elevation, to July at higher elevation |
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Pests and Diseases |
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Use |
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Distribution |
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Sources The sightings (light green on the map) in Todd and Freeborn Counties are in residential yards. The sighting in Faribault County is on the property of a community Hospital. The sighting in Hennepin County (dark green) is an unconfirmed observation near the entrance to Minnehaha Regional Park. None of these are “outside of cultivation.” |
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| 7/7/2023 | ||||
Nativity |
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Native to northern Mexico and western United States west of the Great Plains with isolated populations in Maine and Massachusetts. Cultivated. |
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Occurrence |
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Not known to occur outside of cultivation in Minnesota |
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Taxonomy |
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| Kingdom | Plantae (green algae and land plants) | ||
| Subkingdom | Viridiplantae (green plants) | ||
| Infrakingdom | Streptophyta (land plants and green algae) | ||
| Superdivision | Embryophyta (land plants) | ||
| Division | Tracheophyta (vascular plants) | ||
| Subdivision | Spermatophytina (seed plants) / Angiospermae (flowering plants) | ||
| Class | Pinopsida (conifers) | ||
| Subclass | Pinidae | ||
Order |
Pinales (conifers) | ||
Family |
Pinaceae (pine) | ||
| Subfamily | Abietoideae (firs, hemlocks, cedars, and allies) | ||
Genus |
Abies (firs) | ||
Section |
Grandis | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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Some authors recognize two subspecies of Abies concolor, Colorado white fir (A. c. ssp. concolor) and Sierra Nevada white fir (A. c. ssp. lowiana). Others separate them as two distinct species, white fir (A. concolor) and Sierra white fir (A. lowiana). Still others do not distinguish between them. |
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Synonyms |
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Abies concolor ssp. concolor Abies concolor var. concolor |
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Common Names |
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Colorado fir Colorado white fir concolor fir silver fir white balsam white fir |
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Glossary
Glaucous
Pale green or bluish gray due to a whitish, powdery or waxy film, as on a plum or a grape.
Stomate
A minute, epidermal pore, surrounded by two white guard cells, that allows the exchange of gasses and water vapor. The guard cells control the size of the opening. Plural: stomata.
Visitor Photos |
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Randy |
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Sixty year old white fir, 96" d.b.h., Freeborn County, MN, September 2017 |
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Concolor fir foliage, Freeborn County, MN, September 2017 |
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The soft, long lived needles of white fir, Freeborn County, MN, September 2017 |
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Strong branching, white fir, Freeborn County, MN, September 2017 |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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| Abies concolor John Weiser |
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| Abies concolor Brian Bollman |
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About
White Fir, including Abies concolor var. concolor of the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains, and Abies concolor var. lowiana of the Sierra Nevada and Klamath ranges. |
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Visitor Videos |
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Share your video of this plant. |
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Other Videos |
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| Trees with Don Leopold - white fir ESFTV |
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About
Published on Apr 4, 2012 |
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| Abies concolor VT Dendrology |
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About
Published on Mar 4, 2016 white fir |
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| White Fir in Colorado CSULittlefield |
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About
Published on Feb 19, 2016 Music by bensound.com. Opening ram footage courtesy of www.tonybynum.com. |
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| Abies concolor Final TheCampusTrees |
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About
Published on Apr 25, 2012 |
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Visitor Sightings |
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Report a sighting of this plant. |
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| Randy September 2017 |
Location: Freeborn County, MN Sixty year old white fir, 96" d.b.h. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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Created: 10/3/2017
Last Updated: