Species:

(Abies grandis (Douglas ex D. Don) Lindl.)
-> Genus: Abies (Abies) -> Family: Pinaceae (Pinaceae) -> Group: Gymnosperms

Habitus

  • in the homeland it grows to a height of 60 - 90 m
  • crown wide conical to hemispherical
  • bark similar to white fir, but with many resin bubbles (resin has a pleasant smell)
  • rhytidome is grey-brown, split into irregular rectangular plates

Buds

  • are 3-4 mm in size, spherical, brown-gray to violet, vitreous-resinous!

Shoots

  •  olive-green to yellowish-brown, glabrous

Leaves (assimilation organs)

  • assimilation organs are needle-shaped, notched at the top, dark green shiny from above with two whitish (silvery) bands of stomata on the underside
  • needles are distinctly arranged in a comb-like manner (flat - to the plane) in two rows:
    • the top row consists of shorter needles (1.5-2.5 cm)
    • the bottom row consists of longer needles (4.0-5.5 cm)

Flowers

  • monoecious wood, flowers of different sexes
  • male cones (♂) they are egg-shaped, light yellow, grow from buds on the underside of last year's shoots
  • female cones (♀) are cylindrical, light green, upright, 2-3 cm in size, grow on the upper side of the shoots on several of the highest whorls

Fruits – seeds

  • the fruit is a cone, 6-12 x 3 - 4 cm large, cylindrical, upright
  • seed scales are crescent-shaped, entire-edged, leathery
  • supporting scales are short and do not protrude when mature
  • seed is 7 - 8 x 4 - 6 mm large, almost triangular, brownish with a relatively wide membranous wing

Extension

  • originally widespread in the western part of the North American continent from Vancouver Island in the north to central California
  • it grows from the lowlands to 2,100 m above sea level (in the coastal belt of the Pacific Ocean)

Ecology

  • semi-shaded tree
  • in the homeland it creates mixed stands with Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Scots pine (Pinus ponderosa), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), mixed-leaved hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), native riastanta (Thuja plicata)

Significance

  • grows quickly (highly productive tree)
  • it was planted in forest stands also in Slovakia
  • for greening in parks, gardens