Abies magnifica
Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox
Abies magnifica, the red fir or silvertip fir, is a western North American fir, native to the mountains of southwest Oregon and California in the United States. It is a high-elevation tree, typically occurring at Script error: No such module "convert". 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 Script error: No such module "convert". tall and Script error: No such module "convert". trunk diameter, rarely to Script error: No such module "convert". tall and Script error: No such module "convert". 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, Script error: No such module "convert". long, glaucous blue-green above and below with strong stomatal bands, and an acute tip. They are arranged spirally on the shoot, but twisted slightly S-shaped to be upcurved above the shoot.
The cones are erect, Script error: No such module "convert". long, yellow-green (occasionally purple), ripening brown and disintegrating to release the winged seeds in fall.
Varieties
There are three varieties:[1]
| Image | Scientific name | Description | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Abies magnifica Tahoe1.jpg | Abies magnifica var. magnifica, red fir | cones Script error: No such module "convert". long, bract scales short, not visible on the closed cones. | Range, primarily in the Sierra Nevada. |
| File:Abies magnifica 8016t.jpg | Abies magnifica var. shastensis Template:Au, Shasta red fir | cones Script error: No such module "convert". long, bract scales longer, visible on the closed cone; bark Script error: No such module "convert". thick. | The northwest of the species' range, in southwest Oregon and Shasta, Siskiyou[2] and Trinity Counties in northwest California. |
| Abies magnifica var. critchfieldii Template:Au | Also having long bracts, and additionally have smaller cones, Script error: No such module "convert". long. | the eastern slopes of southern Sierra Nevada |
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;[2] 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.[3]
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.[2]
See also
References
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Further reading
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