Fraser Fir
Foliage and cone
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Pinaceae Genus: Abies Species: A. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future A vulnerable species is a Species which is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The Order Pinales in the Division Pinophyta, Class Pinopsida comprises all the extant Conifers This order was formerly known as the The family Pinaceae ( pine family) is in the order Pinales and includes many of the well-known Conifers of commercial importance such as Cedars Firs ( Abies) are a genus of between 45-55 species of Evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. fraseri
Binomial name
Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir.

Abies fraseri (Fraser Fir) is a species of fir native to the mountains of the eastern United States. Frederick Traugott Pursh (or Friedrich Traugott Pursch ( 1774 - 11 July 1820) was a German - American Botanist. Jean Louis Marie Poiret ( 11 June 1755 in Saint-Quentin - 7 April 1834 in Paris) was a French clergyman Firs ( Abies) are a genus of between 45-55 species of Evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It is closely related to Abies balsamea (Balsam Fir), of which it has occasionally been treated as a subspecies (as A. The Balsam Fir ( Abies balsamea) is a North American Fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada ( Newfoundland west to central In Zoology, as in other branches of Biology, subspecies is the Taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a Species. balsamea subsp. fraseri (Pursh) E. Murray) or a variety (as A. In Botanical nomenclature or biological nomenclature variety is a low-level Taxonomic rank below that of species and signifies members of different populations can balsamea var. fraseri (Pursh) Spach). ^[2][3][4][5]

Morphology

Seedlings of Fraser Fir (blue-green, longer needles) and Red Spruce (green, shorter needles)

It is a small evergreen coniferous tree growing to 10–15 m (rarely to 25 m) tall with a trunk 40–50 cm (rarely to 75 cm) diameter. In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or The crown is conical, with straight branches from horizontal to angled 40° upward from the trunk; it is dense when the tree is young, but becomes more open as it ages. The bark is thin and smooth, gray-brown with numerous resin blisters on young trees, becoming fissured and scaly with age. Bark, also known as periderm is the outermost layer of stems and Roots of Woody plants such as Trees It overlays the Wood and consists Resin, not to be confused with Rosin, is a Hydrocarbon Secretion of many Plants particularly coniferous trees. The foliage is strongly turpentine-scented. Turpentine (also called spirit of turpentine oil of turpentine wood turpentine gum turpentine is a fluid obtained by the Distillation of Resin obtained from trees The leaves are needle-like, arranged spirally on the twigs but twisted at the base to spread in two rows; they are 10–23 mm long and 2–2. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. 2 mm broad, flat and flexible with a rounded or slightly notched tip, dark green to glaucous green above, often with a small patch of stomata near the tip, and with two silvery white stomatal bands on the underside. In Botany, a stoma (also stomate; plural stomata) is a tiny opening or pore found mostly on the underside of a Plant Leaf The cones are erect, cylindric, 3. A cone (in formal botanical usage Strobilus, plural strobili is an organ on Plants in the division Pinophyta ( Conifers 5-7 cm (rarely 8 cm) long and 2. 5–3 cm (rarely 4 cm) broad, dark purple, turning light brown when mature, with long reflexed green, yellow or pale purple bract scales, and often resinous. In Botany, a bract is a modified or specialized Leaf. Bracts are ordinarily associated with reproductive structures (subtending Flowers Inflorescence The cones disintegrate when mature at 4–6 months old to release the winged seeds. ^[2][3][4]

The Balsam Fir variety Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis is regarded by some botanists as a natural hybrid between Balsam Fir and Fraser Fir, as Abies × phanerolepis (Fernald) Liu. In Biology, hybrid has two meanings The first meaning is the result of interbreeding between two animals or plants of different taxa. ^[3]

Distribution and ecology

Fraser Fir forest, with many trees killed by Balsam woolly adelgid

It is restricted to the southeastern Appalachian Mountains in southwestern Virginia, western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, where it occurs at high elevations, from 1200 m up to 2,037 m (the summit of Mount Mitchell, the highest point in the region). Balsam woolly adelgids are small wingless Insects that infest and kill Firs especially Balsam Fir and Fraser Fir. The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. It lives in acidic moist but well-drained sandy loam, and is usually mixed with Picea rubens (Red Spruce). Picea rubens ( Red Spruce) is a species of Spruce native to eastern North America. Other trees it grows with include Tsuga caroliniana (Carolina Hemlock), Betula alleghaniensis (Yellow Birch), Betula papyrifera (Paper Birch), and Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple). Tsuga caroliniana ( Carolina Hemlock) is a species of Tsuga, native to the Appalachian Mountains in southwest Virginia Betula alleghaniensis ( Yellow Birch) is a species of Birch native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia, Betula papyrifera ( Paper Birch, also known as American White Birch and Canoe Birch) is a species of Birch native to northern Acer saccharum ( Sugar Maple) is a species of Maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia The climate is cool and moist, with short, cool summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. ^[2][3]

The species severely is damaged by a non-native insect, the Balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae). Balsam woolly adelgids are small wingless Insects that infest and kill Firs especially Balsam Fir and Fraser Fir. The insect's introduction and spread led to a rapid decline in Fraser Fir across its range, with over 80% of mature trees having been killed. The rapid regeneration of seedlings with lack of canopy has led to good regrowth of new, healthy young trees where the mature forests once stood. However, when these young trees get old enough for the bark to develop fissures, they will likely be attacked and killed by the adelgids as well. For this reason, the future of the species is still uncertain. The decline of the Fraser Fir in the southern Appalachians has contributed to loss of moss habitat which supports the Spruce-fir moss spider. The Spruce-fir moss spider ( Microhexura montivaga) is an Endangered species of Spider found at high elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains ^[5]

Cultivation and uses

Fraser Fir is widely used as a Christmas tree. A Christmas tree, Yule tree, holiday tree or Tannenbaum (fir tree is one of the most popular Traditions associated with the celebration Its fragrance, appearance, strong twigs, and ability to retain its soft needles for a long time when cut (which do not prick easily when hanging ornaments) make it an excellent choice for this purpose.

Etymology

The species is named after the Scottish botanist John Fraser (1750–1811), who made numerous botanical collections in the region. John Fraser (1750 – 26 April 1811) was a Scottish Botanist, born at Tomnacross, the Aird, Inverness-shire. ^[3] It is sometimes mis-spelled as "Frazer" or "Frazier". In the past, it was also sometimes known as "she-balsam" because resin could be "milked" from its bark blisters,^[6] in contrast to the "he balsam" (Red Spruce) which could not be milked. It has also occasionally been called balsam fir, inviting confusion with A. balsamea. ^[7]

References and external links