Abies pinsapo

 ( Pinsapo ) 

Abies pinsapo, Spanish fir, is a species of tree in the family Pinaceae, native to southern Spain and northern Morocco. Related to other species of Mediterranean firs, it appears at altitudes of in the Sierra de Grazalema in the Province of Cádiz and the Sierra de las Nieves and Sierra Bermeja, both near Ronda in the province of Málaga. In Morocco, it is limited to the Rif Mountains at altitudes of on Jebel Tissouka and Jebel Tazaot. The scientific name pinsapo is from the Spanish vernacular name for the species.

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Description Abies pinsapo is an evergreen conifer growing to 20–30 m tall, with a conic crown, often becoming irregular with age. The leaf are 1.5–2 cm long, arranged radially all round the shoots, and are strongly glaucous pale blue-green, with broad bands of whitish wax on both sides. The conifer cone are cylindrical, measuring 9–18  cm long. They are green to pinkish-purple before maturity, and have a smooth surface, with short bract scales that do not protrude. When mature, they disintegrate to release the winged .

There are two subspecies:

• Abies pinsapo subsp. pinsapo Boiss. – southern Spain.
• Abies pinsapo subsp. marocana (Trab.) Emb. & Maire – northern Morocco.

The Moroccan subspecies, Moroccan fir, differs in the leaves being less strongly glaucous and the cones slightly longer, 11–20 cm long. It is sometimes treated as a separate species, Abies marocana.

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Conservation Despite the best conservation and reforestation efforts that have greatly increased the abundance of Spanish fir, it still has several threats such as fires, urban projects, erosion, excessive visitors and tourists, etc.

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Cultivation The A. pinsapo 'Aurea' (to 8m, with golden new growth) and A. pinsapo 'Glauca' (to 12m plus, with grey-green leaves) have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

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Gallery File:Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja (Málaga, España) 10.JPG|Foliage and cones in the Sierra Bermeja File:Pinsapo en el sendero del Río Majaceite 1.jpg|Foliage, Sierra de Grazalema File:Pinsapo de las Escaleretas 1.jpg|"Pinsapo de las Escaleretas", the largest known specimen, in the Sierra de las Nieves File:Pinsapo de las Escaleretas 3.jpg|Trunk of "Pinsapo de las Escaleretas" File:Piñas de pinsapo (8783339221).jpg|Pollen cones, in the Sierra de las Nieves File:Abies pinsapo subsp. marocana, Talassemtane, Morocco 2.jpg|subsp. marocana, Talassemtane, Morocco File:Abies pinsapo var. marocana cone.jpg|subsp. marocana cone, with resin

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External links

• Tourist information for the Sierra de Grazalema (in Spanish)

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