Abies concolor - Colorado fir description

Scientific name: Abies concolor  (Gordon & Glendinning) Hildebrand  1861

Synonyms: Abies concolor var. concolor, Abies lowiana (Gordon) A.Murray bis, Picea concolor Gordon, Picea grandis Newb., Picea lowiana Gordon, Picea lowii Gordon, Picea parsonsiana Barron, Picea parsonsii Fowler, Pinus concolor (Gordon) Parl., Pinus lowiana (Gordon) W.R.McNab

Common names: Concolor fir, Colorado fir, Colorado white fir, Silver fir, White fir, Rocky Mountain white fir

Description

Tree to 60 m tall, with trunk to 2 m in diameter. Bark light gray, breaking up into dark gray ridges and reddish furrows with age. Branchlets hairless or with yellowish hairs at first, not grooved. Buds 3-5 mm long, resinous. Needles arranged to the sides on lower branches and also turned upward on branches with seed cones, (1.5-)2- 6(-7) cm long, light green or bluish green with wax both above and beneath (hence the scientific name, “same color”), the tips rounded or shallowly notched. Individual needles fairly flat to almost round in cross section and with a resin canal on either side near the edge just inside the lower epidermis, with (5-)7-12(-18) rows of stomates above (fewer toward the tip) and four to eight rows in each stomatal band beneath. Pollen cones (6-)12-20 mm long, dark red. Seed cones roughly cylindrical, 6-13 cm long, 3-4.5 cm across, green, grayish green, or dull purple when young, maturing light brown. Bracts less than half as long as the seed scales and hidden by them. Persistent cone axis narrowly conical. Seeds body 6-12 mm long, the wing up to 1.5 times as long. Cotyledons (five or) six or seven (to nine).

Widespread through the mountains of southwestern North America, from central Oregon, southeastern Idaho, and central Colorado, south to northeastern Sonora and northern Baja California (Mexico). Growing with various other conifers in different parts of its range; (600-)900-3,000(-3,500)m.

Conservation Status

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern

Varieties:

Abies concolor ’Albospica’
Abies concolor ’Archer’s Dwarf’
Abies concolor ’Argentea’
Abies concolor ’Asbury’    
Abies concolor ’Aurea’
Abies concolor ’Bables Weeping’
Abies concolor ’Bella’
Abies concolor ’Birthday Broom’
Abies concolor ’Blue Cloak’
Abies concolor ’Blue Saphir’   
Abies concolor ’Bogy Woogy’
Abies concolor ’Brady’  
Abies concolor ’Breburda’    
Abies concolor ’Brevifolia’
Abies concolor ’Bryce Canyon’
Abies concolor ’Bugy Wugy’
Abies concolor ’Butzii’
Abies concolor ’Camache’  
Abies concolor ’Candicans’
Abies concolor ’Candicans Pygmy’
Abies concolor ’Černošice’
Abies concolor ’Cesta’
Abies concolor ’Cha Cha’  
Abies concolor ’Charlie’s Broom’
Abies concolor ’Charming Chub’
Abies concolor ’Cihelna’  
Abies concolor ’Cimarron’  
Abies concolor ’Clinton’
Abies concolor ’Compacta’
Abies concolor ’Conica’
Abies concolor ’Creamy’
Abies concolor ’Dĕčín’
Abies concolor ’Dr. Kochlein’s Seedling’
Abies concolor ’Elkins’s Weeper’
Abies concolor ’Fagerhult’
Abies concolor ’Falcata’
Abies concolor ’Fastigiata’
Abies concolor ’Frosty’
Abies concolor ’Gable’s Weeping’
Abies concolor ’Glauca’
Abies concolor ’Glauca Compacta’
Abies concolor ’Glenmore’
Abies concolor ’Globosa’
Abies concolor ’Green Globe’
Abies concolor ’Hexe’
Abies concolor ’Husky Pup’
Abies concolor ’Igel’
Abies concolor ’Izabela’   
Abies concolor ’Jack’  
Abies concolor ’Jerry Morris’  
Abies concolor ’Keith’s Blue’
Abies concolor ’Kelleriis’
Abies concolor ’Kingsley’
Abies concolor ’Kinky’
Abies concolor ’Knollwood’   
Abies concolor ’La Veta’
Abies concolor ’Lareta’
Abies concolor ’Layne Davis’  
Abies concolor ’Little Wedge’
Abies concolor ’Masonic Broom’
Abies concolor ’Marquette Conica’
Abies concolor ’Mora’  
Abies concolor ’Morton’
Abies concolor ’Nana’
Abies concolor ’Olcott’
Abies concolor ’Olson’
Abies concolor ’Pendens’
Abies concolor ’Pendula’
Abies concolor ’Piedra’
Abies concolor ’Piggelmee’
Abies concolor ’Pineola Dwarf’
Abies concolor ’Procumbens’
Abies concolor ’Pyramidalis’
Abies concolor ’Recurva’
Abies concolor ’Rochester’
Abies concolor ’Rockford’
Abies concolor ’Sassy’
Abies concolor ’Schrammii’
Abies concolor ’Scooter’  
Abies concolor ’Select Blue’
Abies concolor ’Sherwood Blue’
Abies concolor ’Sipapu’  
Abies concolor ’Slama’
Abies concolor ’Stanwood’
Abies concolor ’Vanilla Ice’
Abies concolor ’Variegata’
Abies concolor ’Verdener Dom’
Abies concolor ’Violaceae’
Abies concolor ’Wattezii’
Abies concolor ’Wattezii Prostrate’
Abies concolor ’Wintergold’
Abies concolor ’Zlín’  
Abies concolor ’Z-mark’  

Attribution from: Conifers Garden