Abies magnifica, the red fir or silvertip fir, is a western fir, native to the mountains of southwest Oregon and California in the United States. It is a high-elevation tree, typically occurring at elevation, though only rarely reaching tree line. The name red fir derives from the bark color of old trees.
Description
Abies magnifica is a large
evergreen tree typically up to tall and trunk diameter, rarely to tall and diameter, with a narrow conic crown. The bark on young trees is smooth, grey, and has
resin blisters, becoming orange-red, rough and fissured on old trees. The
leaves are needle-like, long, glaucous blue-green above and below with strong
bands, and an acute tip. They are arranged spirally on the shoot, but twisted slightly S-shaped to be upcurved above the shoot.
The conifer cone are erect, long, yellow-green (occasionally purple), ripening brown and disintegrating to release the winged in fall.
Varieties
There are three varieties:
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| Range, primarily in the Sierra Nevada. |
The northwest of the species' range, in southwest Oregon and Shasta, Siskiyou |
| the eastern slopes of southern Sierra Nevada |
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Related
Red fir is very closely related to
Abies procera (noble fir), which replaces it further north in the
Cascade Range. They are best distinguished by the leaves; noble fir leaves have a groove along the midrib on the upper side, while 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. Shasta red fir hybridizes with noble fir, with which it is both chemically and microscopically similar;
some botanists treat the former as a natural hybrid between red and noble fir.
First recording
This tree was first recorded by
William Lobb on his expedition to California of 1849–1853, having been overlooked previously by David Douglas.
Uses
The
wood is used for general structural purposes and
paper manufacture. It is also a popular
Christmas tree.
Paiute peoples used the foliage of Shasta red fir (or perhaps noble fir) to treat coughs and colds.
See also
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Sierra Nevada subalpine zone
Further reading
External links
