Abies concolor

Colorado fir branches with cones

The Colorado Fir ( Abies concolor ), also called gray - fir, is a species of the genus of fir (Abies ) in the pine family ( Pinaceae ).

  • 6.1 Notes and references

Description

Habit

The Colorado - fir is an evergreen, relatively fast-growing tree, the plant height of about 50 meters and a trunk diameter breast height ( DBH ) of more than 150 centimeters reached. The highest known Colorado fir measures 58.5 meters and has a trunk diameter of 271 centimeters. Abies concolor var concolor remains small for the growing variety of heights up to 41 meters and up to 124 centimeters of BHD be specified. Strong Alttannen are sometimes used by bears as winter quarters. The crown is pyramidal and harmonious. Characteristic are the horizontally outgoing from the tree branches. Solitary trees are beastet to the ground.

Needles and twigs

Note the approximately 5 to 7.5 centimeters long, mutually blue-green needles that stick out like a comb from the branch and fall after about eight to ten years. Especially on the branch -top they are slightly arched upward and curved forward. The needles are the longest of all pine species. The branches are relatively strong, at first smooth and light gray in color, later rough and gray to gray-brown. The smell needles grated lemon.

Bark and wood

The bark is light gray and is towards the base furrowed and corky. You can be at the base of the trunk up to 16 inches thick. While young trees have a smooth bark, form old Colorado fir from irregular, plate-like scales. The wood is light and soft, also quite coarse-grained and not very durable. The wood color varies from whitish and light brown, with no difference between sapwood and heartwood is. It has a bulk density of 0.40 to 0.42 g / m³.

Root

Seedlings form a taproot, which is not common in old trees. The species develops on deep soils, a deep root system. As mycorrhizal partners only C. geophilum and the congregation peas litter Ling ( Pisolithus arhizus ) are known.

Flowers, cones and seeds

Be ripe ( mature ), this monoecious getrenntgeschlechtige ( monoecious ) species until the age of about 30 to 40 years. Then appear about 1.6 centimeters long, red or pink male cones in the axils of last year's branches. These are located in the middle and lower crown area. The female cones are found in the upper third. You stand upright, are partly green and partly red and about 3.5 inches long. The flowering period extends, depending on the region May to July.

In September and October, the seeds are ripe. The cylindrical cones are then 7.5 to 13 inches tall and have a light brown color. The winged seeds fall to the cone scales to the ground. The seeds are 8-12 mm long and 1.5 to 1.8 centimeters wide wings. The thousand grain weight is 25.6 to 52.9 grams. Squirrels bury all pins as a feed stock, often arise from natural rejuvenation groups. Rangers use this pin as the buried seed source.

Occurrence

The Colorado - fir has its natural range in western North America. The variety Abies concolor var concolor colonized high altitudes of the Rocky Mountains from 2100 m to 2700 m, while Abies concolor var lowiana more on mountains near the Pacific coast at altitudes between 1200 m and 2100 m in the Sierra Nevada and between 1500 m and 3000 m can be found in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California. The Abies concolor concolor var deputy in the southern Rocky Mountains, the Klimaxbaumart dar. optimal for their development seem north and east sides of the mountains of Oregon and California to be.

In temperate climates the Colorado Spruce is widely used as a park and garden tree as it provides little habitat requirements and drought and frost endures. Therefore, it is considered as one of the best city firs. Logging sample attachments in Germany were unsuccessful.

The optimum of Colorado Fir Abies concolor is for the variety var concolor in areas with rainfall 510-890 mm, for Abies concolor var variety lowiana 890-1900 mm. Both varieties are extremely insensitive to long winters. They can withstand temperatures of -39 ° C and 38 ° C. Under the Fir Tree, the Colorado Spruce is considered to be the least sensitive to drought. It provides very low demands on the soil and the pH.

System

The specific epithet concolor means " same color " and refers to the same color on both sides of needles.

The Colorado - fir is Abies concolor in the two varieties var concolor, the " domestic form" and Abies concolor var lowiana, the split " Sierra " shape. Some authors also look at it as a separate species: Abies concolor and Abies lowiana.

  • Colorado Fir ( Abies concolor var concolor ): You achieved an average plant height of 33 feet and is hardy and slow growing. Has bluish gray-green needles arranged cusp. It comes from Colorado, Southeast Idaho and eastern Nevada of eastern California, Arizona and New Mexico to northern Mexico before.
  • Sierra Fir ( Abies concolor var lowiana ): This fast-growing variety reaches stature heights of over 50 meters. The under side bright green colored needles are parted horizontally. It occurs in the California coastal mountains, Southern Oregon and the Sierra Nevada.

Phytopathology

Phytopathologically and forestry crucial in Colorado fir bark beetle populations are especially. In the natural area it is commonly affected by cancer fir and mistletoe. Furthermore, it is highly dogged by Wild. The greatest importance of the forest abiotic causes of damage has fire. Moderately sensitive it is to ozone, completely insensitive to frost. She endures extreme temperatures of -39 ° C.

Use

Due to the rather poor wood quality, there is little timber capability. Usually the timber for the production of boxes or as a structural element is used for small houses. Benefit is the fir as pulp supplier for paper production and as plywood.

The Colorado Spruce is used as an ornamental tree because of their modesty.

In America it is often used as a Christmas tree and therefore cultivated in plantations. The resin emerges from the bark of young trees, is used for the preparation of Canada balsam.

Swell

  • Christopher J. Earle: Abies concolor. In: The Gymnosperm Database. May 22, 2011, accessed 22 October 2011 (English).
  • Peter Schütt: Abies concolor. In: Peter Schütt, Horst Weisgerber, Hans J. Schuck, Ulla Lang, Bernd vocal, Andreas Roloff: Encyclopedia of conifers. Dissemination - description - Ecology - use; the great encyclopedia. Nikol, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-933203-80-5, pp. 35-44.
  • Jost hinge plates, Franz H. Meyer [Edit ]: woody flora: a book for Bestimmem the wild and planted trees and shrubs in Central Europe; with buds and fruit keys. 11, exp. and corr. Edition. Source and Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2002, ISBN 3-494-01268-7.
  • David More, John White, Joachim Mayer [Übers ]: Colorado Fir. In: The Cosmos Encyclopedia of Trees: 2100 species and varieties. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3440101703, page 143
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