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 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 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, long, yellow-green (occasionally purple), ripening brown and disintegrating to release the winged seeds in fall.
Varieties
There are two, perhaps three varieties: Abies magnifica var. magnifica, red fir – cones long, bract scales short, not visible on the closed cones. Most of the species' range, primarily in the Sierra Nevada. Abies magnifica var. shastensis, Shasta red fir – cones long, bract scales longer, visible on the closed cone; bark thick. The northwest of the species' range, in southwest Oregon and Shasta, Siskiyou and Trinity Counties in northwest California. A. magnifica on the eastern slopes of southern Sierra Nevada – possibly a third variety, have not been formally named, also having long bracts, and additionally have smaller cones, long.
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
Sierra Nevada subalpine zone
References
Further reading
External links
USDA Forest Service: Abies magnifica
CalFlora Database: Abies magnifica
Gymnosperm Database – Abies magnifica
Arboretum de Villardebelle: Abies magnifica Photos – group 1
Arboretum de Villardebelle: Abies magnifica Photos – group 2
magnifica
Trees of the Northwestern United States
Flora of California
Flora of Nevada
Flora of Oregon
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora of the Cascade Range Flora of the Klamath Mountains Natural history of Siskiyou County, California Trees of North America Trees of the Western United States Trees of the West Coast of the United States Trees of the United States