Abies religiosa seed
LATIN NAME: ABIES RELIGIOSA
COMMON NAME: Sacred Fir
On the high volcanic slopes of Mexico, the sacred fir grows as a tall, stately, evergreen tree with the dense, dark-green crown of flattened sprays of needles and the upright, barrel-shaped cones that break apart on the tree, and each winter the great monarch butterflies gather in millions among its branches. The plant grows a dense, bushy clump, around sixty centimetres high. Give it full sun and deep, fertile ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The sacred fir holds a celebrated place in the studies of the highland firs of Mexico, its winter butterfly gatherings keeping it in view in the work on the monarch migration and the conservation of the oyamel forests of the high volcanoes. The research looks at the way the flattened sprays hold the mountain shade, the upright cones break apart and shed the winged seeds, and the seed biology of the seeds beneath the cone scales.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the cool mountain garden and the conservation planting, the sacred fir rises with the tall, dense, dark-green crown that shelters the monarch butterflies through the winter in its native land. The stately tree is one of the great symbols of the highland forest, and the tree makes the fine specimen, the conservation tree and the tree of the cool, moist garden. It is a tree for the sheltered, shaded, deep and cool place.
To grow the Sacred Fir from seed, chill the winged seeds in a cool, moist spell, then sow them on gritty compost.
Chill the winged seeds in a cool, moist spell, then sow them on gritty compost, and keep the young firs in the shaded, sheltered spot. The upright cones break apart with the autumn.
LATIN NAME: Abies religiosa
COMMON NAME: Oyamel Fir, Sacred Fir
The sacred fir is a tree of the cloud forest and the high mountains, and it holds a truly magical place in the natural world. It grows into a dense, rounded canopy, reaching several metres. It grows high in the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala, in the cool, misty cloud forests, and it is famous as the winter home of the monarch butterflies, which migrate thousands of kilometres to roost in its branches by the millions, filling the forest with the sound of their wings.
The sacred fir belongs to the pine family, Pinaceae, and it is native to the mountains of central and southern Mexico and western Guatemala, growing at high elevations of 2,100 to 4,100 metres in the cloud forests. It is a tree of cool, humid summers and dry winters, and it grows with its roots in the mist, which is how it keeps its soft, fresh, dark green foliage through the year. Its name, sacred fir, comes from its place in the forests that the people of Mexico have held in reverence for centuries.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The sacred fir has a distinguished and growing place in both ecological and conservation research. As the winter home of the monarch butterfly, it has been studied extensively in ecology and conservation biology, and researchers have examined the migration of the monarchs, their roosting sites in the fir forests and the conservation of these forests, which are among the most studied migration sites in the world. The tree has also been studied in forestry and ecology for its role in the cloud forests of Mexico, its growth and its place in the high mountain ecosystems, and for its value in watershed protection. The species has also been studied in horticulture, since it is grown as an ornamental and as a Christmas tree in suitable climates. For a tree of such magical importance, the sacred fir has an exceptionally rich record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the sacred fir is a treasure of the cloud forest. It shelters the monarch butterflies by the millions in winter, feeds and shelters a host of mountain wildlife, and its high forest holds the soil and the water of the Mexican highlands.
Its economic value is real and growing. It is used as a Christmas tree and ornamental in suitable climates, and the forests of the sacred fir are a source of real economic value through the conservation and ecotourism that the monarch migration has brought to Mexico, where people travel from around the world to see them. For a grower, the sacred fir is a handsome and meaningful tree, and for a gardener in a cool climate it brings the grace of the cloud forest. The seeds need a little cold first — give them a spell in the fridge in damp compost, then sow them in a cool, bright spot, and theyll sprout steadily over a few weeks, the little firs growing on slowly but surely into stately trees that one day might shelter their own monarchs.