Abies concolor Seeds | White Fir
LATIN NAME: Abies concolor
COMMON NAME: White Fir, Concolor Fir
Plant Profile
White fir is the fir of the dry mountains, and it is its tolerances rather than its looks that have made it so widely planted. The tree reaches 25 to 60 metres, with a narrow, spire-like crown in youth that broadens with age, and bark that stays smooth and grey for decades before breaking into furrows. The needles are the giveaway: long, flat, blue-grey, curving upward and outward from the twig in a way that shows the pale bands beneath, and they are soft to the touch rather than sharp. The cones are upright, barrel-shaped, olive-green to purple, and they disintegrate on the tree rather than falling whole. It grows from Oregon through the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico and into northern Mexico, mostly between 1500 and 3000 metres, and it is one of the most drought- and heat-tolerant firs in the world.
Science & Biotechnology
Abies concolor is divided into two varieties that are sometimes treated as species: var. concolor of the Rocky Mountains, with shorter, stiffer, very blue needles, and var. lowiana of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades, with longer, greener needles and a taller habit. The two meet and intergrade in northern California, and the boundary is one of the more argued-about questions in western conifer taxonomy. The tree’s wide tolerance — of drought, heat, poor soil and a broad pH range — has made it a target in breeding programmes looking for firs that will survive a warmer climate, and it has been planted widely outside its range for that reason. The resin, marketed as white fir balsam, is collected from blisters on the trunk and has been used as a mounting medium and a wound dressing. The species is also a host to a range of bark beetles and to the fir dwarf mistletoe.
Uses & Benefits
It is one of the best firs for a large garden, a park or a windbreak, and it is planted for exactly the qualities that make it a good timber tree: steady growth, a symmetrical crown and a tolerance of conditions that kill its relatives. It is also one of the most popular Christmas trees in North America, because the needles hold well after cutting and the colour is good. The timber is light, straight-grained and weak, and it is used for boxes, crates, plywood and pulp rather than construction. In the wild the tree forms mixed conifer forest with ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, and the seed is eaten by squirrels and by crossbills. It is not a tree for a small garden: the roots are wide and the crown eventually needs space.
Growing from Seed
Cold, moist stratification for six to eight weeks improves germination, which otherwise is slow and uneven. Sow the seed in autumn in a pot of gritty compost and leave it outside, or stratify in the refrigerator and sow in spring at 18 to 20 °C. The seedlings tolerate more sun and drier air than most firs, which reflects the parent’s tolerance, but they still need steady moisture in their first summer. Grow them on in deep pots, since the taproot resents disturbance, and plant out at two or three years, in autumn or early spring. Choose a site in full sun with room for a 15-metre crown, and do not plant in a frost pocket, where late frost can damage the new growth. Stake only if the site is windy.
Our Take
The most adaptable of the firs, and a good long-term bet for a large garden in a drying climate; give it space and it will outlive you.
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