Scientific Name:
Abies amabilis
Pronunciation:
AY-beez uh-MAB-uh-liss
Common Name:
Amabilis fir, Pacific silver fir
Family Name:
Pinaceae
Plant Type:
Conifer
Key ID Features:
Branches tiered; buds brown with violet wax, spherical, 6-9mm wide; needles flat, spreading forward and upward in two rows, dark green, 2 white stomatal lines or glaucous undersides, (0.7-)1-2.5(-4.0)cm long x 1-3mm wide; seed cones erect, ovoid-cylindrical, resinous, purple-grey maturing brown, most 8-10cm long x 4-5cm wide; scales deciduous about 2 x 2cm, finely pubescent, bracts hidden and about half the length of scales; seeds light brown, 10-12mm long x 4mm wide with wing about 1cm long; cotyledons 4-7. Conifers.org
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Pyramidal - narrowly
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
15 - 22m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
B.C. west of Cascades, U.S. - northwest
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic
Landscape Uses:
Forestry
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Needle-like
Arrangement:
Spiraled
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Glaucous, Lustrous
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green
Shapes:
Linear
Apices:
Emarginate or retuse
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
orange scented when crushed
Inflorescence Type:
n/a (male cone)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Colour (petals):
Male cone, No flowers, Brown (red, maturing to yellow)
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Fruit Type:
Cone (winged seeds)
Fruit Colour:
Purple, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy, Seeds 10-12 x 4mm, wing about as long as seed; cotyledons 4-7, short, blunt, smooth edge.
Bark Morphology:
Smooth
Bark or Stem Colour:
White, Grey
Additional Info:
reddish-grey scaly plates form with age
Leaf Bud Type:
Rounded or globular
Organ Modifications:
Ectomycorrhizae
Propagation:
Seed
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Blight or needle cast, Root rot
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
Location(s):
- (NRY) NuRserY
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLW) Turf Field Lab West
- (WDH) Wark-Dumais House : east of Picea abies