Abies soncolor

A Silver Fir on the (Christmas) March

It’s winter. Christmas time. Naturally, our plant of the month is a fir tree. More specifically, it’s the evergreen Abies concolor.

It is primarily native to the cool mountains of the southwestern United States, at altitudes of 3,000 meters. Since the late 19th century, it has also put down roots in Europe. Matching its climate, summer dryness is just as acceptable to it as freezing temperatures.

Due to its impressive size of 20 to 30 meters, and even up to 50 meters in the mountains of the United States, it is not exactly a tree for home use. Parks and expansive areas are much more suitable.

Abies concolor grows beautifully straight upwards and tapers to a point at the crown. Its branches extend all the way down to the ground. However, its wood is not particularly impressive, which makes it of little interest from a forestry perspective.

What is extremely interesting and charming, however, are the cones and needles.

The cones – and the needles, the needles, the needles.

Our plant of the month crowns itself with impressive cones, which appear from September to October. However, they are only visible if you can catch a glimpse of the top from above. They grow in clusters there, initially light green, then turning light brown, before eventually breaking apart while still hanging on the tree, leaving only the spindle behind.

A real attraction, however, are the fir needles – you could say fivefold: First, Abies concolor has the longest needles of all fir species. They are 5 to 7 cm long and grow very densely. Additionally, they are sickle-shaped, bent upwards, almost like eyelashes. The second point of attraction is the color of the needles: The bluish-grey, almost steel-blue on both the upper and lower sides is not only decorative, but also earned it the name "Grautanne" (Gray Fir). The more acidic the soil, the more intense the bluish hue appears. The third plus is the long durability. Fourth: The needles have a pleasant fragrance. Fifth: They are soft.

For understandable reasons, Abies concolor is a popular Christmas tree in the USA. Here, it still faces tough competition from the Nordmann fir, but in terms of attractiveness, it is strong competition.