Abies Alba - Firs

ABIES

The firs ( Abies ) are a genus of trees of the family Pinaceae , within the conifers . The genus contains 55 species, 33 of which can be considered as primary and the remaining 22 as secondary or perhaps subspecies of the above. They grow mainly in Asia and eastern central, central and southern Europe and North America . Its height varies from 10 to 80 m.

Description Abies Firs

The firs are distinguished from other members of the family of the pine trees by their leaves as a needle are attached to the stem by a foot that resembles a small suction cup and fruit cones cylindrical between 5 and 25 cm long compact, with scales or bracts that stand erect on the branches, grouped near the top. When mature, these cones do not come off as spruce pine cones, but in this case decompose, releasing the gears .

The species identification is based on the size and arrangement of the leaves, the size and shape of the cones and whether the bracts of them are long and extended or short and hidden inside the cone.

They are closely related to the cedars .

Species by section

The genus Abies is divided into the following ten sections that regroup the different species.

• Section Balsamea (Zone of taiga in North America and Asia boreal and high mountains further south)

Abies fraseri
Abies balsamea - balsam fir
Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis
Abies bifolia
Abies lasiocarpa - Alpine Fir
Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica
Abies sibirica - Siberian Fir
Abies sachalinensis - Sakhalin Fir
Abies koreana - Korean Fir
Abies nephrolepis - Siberian White Fir
Abies veitchii - Veitch Fir
Abies veitchii var. sikokiana

• Section Grandis (western North America to Mexico and Guatemala, lowlands in the north, moderate altitudes in south)

Abies grandis - Vancouver fir, grand fir
Abies grandis var. idahoensis
Abies concolor - Colorado fir
Abies concolor subsp. lowiana - Fir Low
Abies durangensis
Abies durangensis var. coahuilensis
Abies flinckii
Abies guatemalensis

• Section Abies (Europe east, south and central Asia Minor)

Abies nebrodensis
Abies alba - silver fir, white fir
Borisii-regis Abies - King Boris Fir
Abies cephalonica - Greek Fir
Abies nordmanniana - Caucasian Fir, Nordmann Fir
Abies nordmanniana subsp. equi-Trojani
Abies nordmanniana subsp. bornmülleriana ( without. bornmuelleriana Abies , Fir Bornmüller)
Abies pinsapo - Pinsapo
Abies pinsapo var. marocana
Abies numidica - Algerian Fir

• Section Momi (central and eastern Asia, the Himalayas, usually at low to moderate altitudes)

Abies kawakamii
Abies homolepis - Japanese Fir Nikko, Nikko Fir
Abies recurvata - Min Fir Chinese
Abies recurvata var. ernestii
Abies signature - Japanese Momi Fir
Abies beshanzuensis
Abies holophylla - Manchurian Fir
Abies chensiensis
Chensiensis abies subsp. salouenensis
Pindrow abies - Spruce pindrow
Abies ziyuanensis

• Section Amabilis (Mountains of the Pacific, North America and Japan in high rainfall mountains)

Abies amabilis - Pacific Spruce, Fir Purple
Abies Mariesii - Fir Maries

• Section Pseudopicea ( Sino-Himalayan mountains , at high altitudes)

Abies delavayi
Abies manufacturer - Faber Fir
Abies forrestii - Forrest Fir
Abies chengii
Dense Abies
Abies spectabilis - Himalayan Spruce
Abies fanjingshanensis
Abies yuanbaoshanensis
Abies squamata - squamous China Fir

• Section Oiamel (central Mexico, at high altitudes)

Abies religiosa
Abies hickelii
Abies hickelii var. oaxacana

• Section Nobilis (western USA , high altitudes)

Abies procera - Noble Fir
Abies magnifica - California red fir
Abies magnifica var. shastensis

• Section bracteata (coast of California )

Abies bracteata - Santa Lucia Fir
Incertae sedis Section
Abies milleri - (extinct) Early Eocene

Uses and ecology

The wood of most firs is considered inferior and is often used as pulp in the manufacture of plywood and construction. Because these species do not have qualities of resistance to insects or putrefaction after being harvested, is generally devoted to interior woodwork such as doors or door frames. This wood exposed to the outside takes between 12-18 months, depending on the climate you expose yourself.

The Caucasian fir ( A. nordmanniana ), the noble fir ( A. procera ) and balsam fir ( A. balsamea ) are very popular as Christmas trees , generally considered the most suitable for this purpose because they have aromatic foliage and not lose too many leaves in dry conditions inside a house. Many are also ornamental trees , garden, especially the Korean fir ( A. koreana ) and Abies fraseri to produce brightly colored cones even in very young specimens (1 to 2 m high).

The larvae of some species of Lepidoptera feed on them, including Chionodes abella (documented in Colorado spruce ), Epirrita autumnata , Korscheltellus (a pest of balsam fir ), Ectropis Twilights , Eupithecia subfuscata , Erannis defoliaria , Panolis flammea) and moths tortricid illutana Cydia (whose larvae feed on the scales of the cones of silver fir ) and C. duplicana (of silver fir bark around wounds or anthracnose ).