Abies procera, the noble fir, also called red fir,
Description
A. procera is a large
evergreen conifer with a narrow conic crown, growing up to tall and in trunk diameter, rarely to tall and thick.
The bark on young trees is smooth and gray with
resin blisters, becoming red-brown, rough and fissured on old trees, usually less than thick; the inner bark is reddish.
The
leaves are needle-like, long, glaucous blue-green above and below with strong
bands, and a blunt to notched tip. They are arranged spirally on the shoot, but twisted slightly S-shaped to be upcurved above the shoot. The
conifer cone are upright, long and thick, with the purple scales almost completely hidden by the long exserted yellow-green bract scales;
they ripen brown and disintegrate to release the winged
in fall. Viable seeds are only produced every few years.
The species can grow for up to 200 years.
Taxonomy
David Douglas discovered the species in the
Cascade Range in the early 19th century, calling it "noble fir".
The specific epithet procera means "tall".
Distribution
The species is native to the Cascade Range and Pacific Coast Ranges of western Washington and
Oregon, as well as the extreme northwest of
California. It is a high-altitude tree, typically occurring at altitudes of , often above ,
and only rarely reaching the
tree line.
Ecology
The species is closely related to
Abies magnifica (red fir), which replaces it further southeast in southernmost Oregon and California, being best distinguished by the leaves having a groove along the midrib on the upper side; red fir does not show this. Red fir also tends to have the leaves less closely packed, with the shoot bark visible between the leaves, whereas the shoot is largely hidden in noble fir. Red fir cones also mostly have shorter bracts, except in
A. magnifica var.
shastensis (Shasta red fir); this variety hybridizes with noble fir
and may itself be a hybrid between noble fir and red fir. As opposed to Shasta red fir, noble fir is
shade-intolerant, leaving its lower trunk branchless.
Noble fir occurs with Douglas-fir and western hemlock at middle elevations, and with Pacific silver fir and mountain hemlock at higher elevations.
Uses
The Paiute used the foliage to treat coughs and colds.
The superior light and strong wood was recognized early by loggers, who called it "larch" to avoid conflating it with inferior firs.
David Douglas sent noble fir seeds to Britain in 1830, introducing it to horticulturalists.
Noble fir has become naturalized in Britain (particularly in Scotland)
Further reading
External links
