Firs (Abies) are a genus of between 45-55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. All are trees, reaching heights of 10-80 m tall and trunk diameters of 0.5-4 m when mature. Firs can be distinguished from other members of the pine family by the fact that their needle-like leaves are attached to the twig by a base that resembles a small suction cup, and by erect, cylindrical cones 5-25 cm long that disintegrate at maturity to release the winged seeds. Identification of the species is based on the size and arrangement of the leaves, and the size and shape of the cones, and whether the bract scales of the cones are long and exserted, or short and hidden inside the cone. They are most closely related to the cedars (Cedrus). Firs are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range.

Classification

• Section Balsamea (boreal Asia and North America, and high mountains further south)
  • Abies fraseri - Fraser Fir
  • Abies balsamea - Balsam Fir
    • Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis - Bracted Balsam Fir
  • Abies bifolia - Rocky Mountains Subalpine Fir
  • Abies lasiocarpa - Coast Range Subalpine Fir
  • Abies sibirica - Siberian Fir
  • Abies sachalinensis - Sakhalin Fir
  • Abies koreana - Korean Fir
  • Abies nephrolepis - Khinghan Fir
  • Abies veitchii - Veitch's Fir
    • Abies veitchii var. sikokiana - Shikoku Fir
  • Abies kawakamii - Taiwan Fir

• Section Grandis (western North America to Mexico and Guatemala, lowlands in north, moderate altitudes in south)
  • Abies grandis - Grand Fir or Giant Fir
    • Abies grandis var. idahoensis - Interior Grand Fir or Giant Fir
  • Abies concolor - White Fir
    • Abies concolor subsp. lowiana - Low's White Fir
  • Abies durangensis - Durango Fir
    • Abies durangensis var. coahuilensis - Coahuila Fir
  • Abies mexicana - Mexican Fir
  • Abies flinckii - Jalisco Fir
  • Abies guatemalensis - Guatemalan Fir

Intact and disintegrated Bulgarian Fir cones

• Section Abies (central, south & east Europe, Asia Minor)
  • Abies nebrodensis - Sicilian Fir
  • Abies alba - Silver Fir
  • Abies borisiiregis - Bulgarian Fir
  • Abies cephalonica - Greek Fir
  • Abies nordmanniana - Nordmann Fir or Caucasian Fir
    • Abies nordmanniana subsp. equitrojani - Turkish Fir
  • Abies cilicica - Cilician Fir

• Section Piceaster (southern Spain, northwest Africa)
  • Abies pinsapo - Spanish Fir
    • Abies pinsapo var. marocana - Moroccan Fir
  • Abies numidica - Algerian Fir

• Section Momi (east & central Asia, Himalaya, generally at low to moderate altitudes)
  • Abies homolepis - Nikko Fir
  • Abies recurvata - Min Fir
    • Abies recurvata var. ernestii - Min Fir
  • Abies firma - Momi Fir
  • Abies beshanzuensis - Baishanzu Fir Conservation status: Critical
  • Abies holophylla - Manchurian Fir
  • Abies chensiensis - Shensi Fir
    • Abies chensiensis subsp. salouenensis - Salween Fir
  • Abies pindrow - Pindrow Fir
  • Abies ziyuanensis - Ziyuan Fir

• Section Amabilis (Pacific coast mountains, North America and Japan, in high rainfall mountains)
  • Abies amabilis - Pacific Silver Fir
  • Abies mariesii - Maries' Fir

• Section Pseudopicea (Sino-Himalayan mountains, at high altitude)
  • Abies delavayi - Delavay's Fir
  • Abies fabri - Faber's Fir
  • Abies forrestii - Forrest's Fir
  • Abies chengii - Cheng's Fir
  • Abies densa - Bhutan Fir
  • Abies spectabilis - East Himalayan Fir
  • Abies fargesii - Farges' Fir
  • Abies fanjingshanensis - Fanjingshan Fir
  • Abies yuanbaoshanensis - Yuanbaoshan Fir
  • Abies squamata - Flaky Fir

• Section Oiamel (Mexico, high altitudes in mountains)
  • Abies religiosa - Sacred Fir
  • Abies vejarii - Vejar's Fir
  • Abies hickelii - Hickel's Fir
    • Abies hickelii var. oaxacana - Oaxaca Fir

• Section Nobilis (western USA, high altitudes)
  • Abies procera - Noble Fir
  • Abies magnifica - Red Fir
  • Abies magnifica var. shastensis - Shasta Red Fir

• Section Bracteata (California coast)
  • Abies bracteata - Bristlecone Fir

Uses

The wood of most firs is considered inferior, and is often used as pulp or for the manufacture of plywood and rough timber. Nordmann Fir, Noble Fir, Fraser Fir and Balsam Fir are very popular Christmas trees, generally considered to be the best trees for this purpose, with their aromatic foliage that does not shed many needles on drying out. Many are also very decorative garden trees, notably Korean Fir and Fraser Fir, which produce their brightly coloured cones even when very young, still only 1-2 m tall.

External links

• Gymnosperm Database - Abies (http://www.botanik.uni-bonn.de/conifers/pi/ab/index.htm)
• Arboretum de Villardebelle cone photos: Images of cones of selected species (http://www.pinetum.org/cones/ABIEScones.htm)

Links to other Pinaceae

Pinus - Picea - Cathaya - Larix - Pseudotsuga - Abies - Cedrus _ Keteleeria _ Pseudolarix - Nothotsuga - Tsuga