Pseudotsuga Menziesii commonly known as Douglas Fir. It is a
magnificent, large and important tree of western North America, was discovered
by Archibald Menzies, a Scottish botanist, in 1791 on the west coast of Vancouver
Island. David Douglas another Scottish botanist, sent seeds to England in 1822,
and the tree now ranks as a major species in British forestry, particularly so
far as speed and quantity of growth, and strength of wood are concerned. The
tree is not a true fir: its cones are pendent whereas those of true firs stand
erect.
P. menziesii is medium-size to extremely large evergreen
trees, 20–100 m (70–330 ft) in height.
The young shoots are yellowish-green (some dark pink,
briefly), turning grey as they age. The brown papery buds are shiny, long and
spindle-shaped, and always non-resinous. The needles are soft, disposed on a
flat plane, and are deep green on top, with a groove; underneath they show two
grey bands of stomata on either side of a prominent midrib. They taper towards
the apex, and when pulled away from, the twig they leave a smooth round scar,
not a peg. The soft new pale green needles which appear in June fringe the
edges of all the branches, giving the tree its best appearance.
Both sexes of flowers are found on the same tree. The male
catkins are mostly pendulous and in groups; they are brownish or dull red at
first, turning yellow at pollen time. The female flowers are at first erect,
with soft green scales and long pointed bracts, which are usually crimson or
pink. They hang down when developing into the 5 – 8 cm cones which become
pale-brown, with papery three-pronged bracts peering out from each scale.
Winged seeds fall in mid-autumn.
The bark is at first greyish-black and smooth, with some
blisters holding fragrant resin, but eventually becomes reddish-brown, thick
and corky, deeply ridged and fissured, with orange-brown tints in the cracks.
The sapwood is pale creamy-brown and heartwood pinkish-brown, darkening with
age. The wood is coarse in texture, fairly hard, straight-grained, resinous, strong
and heavy, providing an excellent constructional, flooring, and joinery timber,
as well as one having many ther uses which include fencing, pit-props, paper
pulp, and telegraph poles.
Pseudotsuga Menziesii – Douglas Fir
Silviclturists appreciate Douglas Fir’s quick growth and
heavy volume, but take care not to plant it on infertile ground or where wind
blow may result. It is only seen at its best on deep well-drained soils in
fairly sheltered situations. A specimen at Powis Castle near Welshpool in Mont-gomeryshire
rises about 180 feet – one of the tallest trees in Britain.
The Colorado or ‘Blue’ Douglas Fir, P. menziesii
glauca Franco, is a smaller and slower growing tree with bluish foliage that
smells of turpentine when crushed. This species is not satisfactory in Europe,
and is planted only as a slow-growing ornamental tree.
Douglas Fir young Plants
Leaves of Douglas Fir
Pseudotsuga Menziesii Leaves
Male and Female Flowers of Douglas Fir
Douglas Fir Male Catkin
Pseudotsuga Menziesii – Douglas Fir Male and Female Flowers
Abies procera
commonly known as Noble Fir also known as Red Fir. It also a Christmas Tree. It
is native to Europe, North America. It is a large evergreen tree that grow
40–70 m (135–230 ft.) in height and 2 m (6.5 ft.) trunk diameter, sometime grow
up to 90 m (295 ft.) tall and 2.7 m (8.9 ft.) diameter, with a narrow conic
crown. It is a strikingly handsome conifer and is particularly distinguished by
its glistening silvery green foliage and pale bluish-grey bark. It was
introduced from Washington or Oregon in 1830.
The new shoots are rusty brown. The buds are small, round
and resin-tipped. The needles are dense and upswept, massed on the top of the
twig. They are a shining bluish-green on both surfaces, the upper being
grooved. When pulled away they leave a neat round scar, not a peg.
Both sexes of flowers are found on the same tree. The
handsome male catkins are deep purple, and borne in groups on the underside of
the lower shoots. The female flowers, reddish or yellowish-green with long
bracts, are erect and are to be found near the top of the tree and are thus
seldom seen (though some specimens flower when only 15-20 feet tall). These
develop into decorative large erect cylindrical pale green cones, 6 inches or
more long and 3 inches or wider, developing dark grey scales partly covered by
long green, reflexed, feathery bracts. They become brown and ripen and
disintegrate in September leaving the persistent central spike on the tree.
The bark is thin at first and pale grey, with some resin
blisters. Later the bark is pale bluish or silver-grey, coming broken by narrow
grooves into irregular plates covered with scales that flake off to show a red
inner bark. The stem bears whorls of branches, and often shows a marked taper,
terminating in a stout leader that usually has to help to bear the weight of
many heavy cones on its short side ranches. The wood is brownish-white,
somewhat similar to Spruce, and is used for joinery, packing cases, paper pulp,
and general purposes.
The tree is doing well silviculturally, on a
small scale, in damp, cold mountain situations in USA and Europe, where it has
proved hardy and stands exposure well. It is a useful and attractive
under-plant. As other fir this is also plant as ornamental tree in home garden or park.
Abies procera as Christmas Tree
Abies procera - Noble Fir – Red Fir
Leaves of Noble Fir
Abies procera Leaves
Male Catkin of Noble Fir
Male Catkins of Abies procera
Female Catkins of Noble Fir
Female Catkins of Abies procera
Red Fir Female Flower
Seeds of Noble Fir
Bark of Noble Fir
Long Trunk of Noble Fir
Abies procera - Noble Fir – Red Fir As ornamental plant
Abies grandis commonly known as Grand Fir also called by its botanical name of
‘grandis,’ is a tall rapidly-growing silver fir, introduced from the Pacific
coast of North America. It has many more name like as Lowland White Fir, Great
Silver Fir, Western White Fir, Vancouver Fir, or Oregon Fir.
It is an evergreen long tree.The
tree generally grows to 40–70 m (135 – 230 ft) in height. The new shoots are smooth and
olive-green. The buds are small, blunt, and resin-coated. The needles are long
(for firs), u to 2 inches, twisted at their base so as to spread in two ranks
in one plane; the upper rank has the shorter needles. They have notched apices,
and are glossy green above, with two prominent glaucous bands below. The new
pale green needles, which appear in June, fringe the edges of all the branches,
giving the tree its best appearance. When crushed, the scent is pleasantly
aromatic. When pulled away from the stem they leave a neat round scar, not a
peg.
Both sexes
of flowers are found on the same tree. The small yellow male flowers are in
clusters on the underside of the branches. The females are erect, short, scaly,
and yellow-green, borne height up on the tree and are thus seldom seen. On
fertilization they develop into erect cylindrical cones up to 4 inches long and
an inch or more broad, and slightly indented at the apex. They ripen to a
yellowish-green, and disintegrate in September leaving the persistent central
spike on the tree.
The bark is
smooth, with some blisters containing clear, aromatic resin. With age the bark
becomes dark-brown, fissured and scaly. The branches are in whorls, often wide
apart. The wood is white or pale cream in color, with no marked heart-wood. It
is used for box making, paper-pulp, and for general purposes where strength and
natural durability are not required. Sometimes a drought crack’ runs in spiral
fashion up the stem. The bark has historical medicinal properties, and it is
popular in the United States as a Christmas tree.
Foresters
prize ‘grandis’ as ‘a fast and heavy volume-producer of moderately strong
timber’ and as a useful under-plant. It can reach 40 m (130 ft) in fifty years.
The European
Silver Fir, Abies alba Mill., usually fails in some countries of Europe because
of attacks by tiny needle-sucking aphids, species of Adelges. Consequently it
is not only planted for timber but also little tree for ornament.
