Abies fraseri, commonly known as Fraser's fir, or Fraser fir, is an endangered species of fir native to the Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States. It is Endemism to the Appalachian Mountains, where it grows in 48 populations on seven montane regions in the range.
In the past, it was also sometimes known as "she-balsam" because resin could be "milked" from its bark blisters, p343 in contrast to the "he balsam" (or Picea rubens, the red spruce) which could not be milked. It has also been called southern balsam fir, inviting confusion with A. balsamea.
The leaf are needle-like; arranged spirally on the twigs but somewhat twisted at their bases to form two rows spreading either side of the twig, with some above the twing but few or none below the twig. They are long and broad, flat, flexible, and rounded or slightly notched at their apices (tips). They are dark to glaucous green adaxially (above), often with a small patch of near their apices; and with two silvery white bands abaxially (on their undersides). Their strong fragrance resembles that of turpentine.
The Conifer cone are erect; cylindrical; long, rarely , and broad, rarely broad; dark purple, turning pale brown when mature; often resinous; and with long reflexed green, yellow, or pale purple bract scales. The cones disintegrate when mature at 4–6 months old to release the winged seeds.
For this reason, the future of the species was still uncertain, though the Mount Rogers (Virginia) population has largely evaded adelgid mortality. The decline in the southern Appalachians has contributed to loss of moss habitat which supports the endangered spruce-fir moss spider ( Microhexura montivaga), an obligate of the Southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest ecoregion.
By the late 1990s, the adelgid population had decreased. While two-thirds of adult trees had been killed by the 1980s, a study of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park showed that as of 2020, the number of adult trees had increased over the previous 30 years, with three times as many on Kuwohi, Tennessee's highest peak.
The Christmas decoration trade is a multimillion-dollar business in the southern Appalachians. North Carolina produces the majority of Fraser's fir Christmas trees. "Fraser Fir". North Carolina Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 24 November 2010. It requires from seven to ten years in the field to produce a tree. In 2005, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation making the Fraser's fir the official Christmas tree of North Carolina.
Fraser's fir is cultivated from seedlings in several northern states and in Quebec, especially for the Christmas tree trade. It is also grown in Bedgebury National Pinetum and other collections in the United Kingdom.
Ecology
Reproduction and growth
Distribution and habitat
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Pests
Threats
Cultivation and uses
See also
External links
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