(Abies grandis (Douglas ex D. Don) Lindl.)
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
