font settings and languages

Font Size: Large | Normal | Small
Font Face: Verdana | Geneva | Georgia
Languages:

Abies chensiensis chensiensis

Overview

[ Back to top ]

Vulnerable
Threat status

Description

[ Back to top ]

Family Pinaceae

Trees or rarely shrubs , evergreen or deciduous, monoecious. Branchlets often dimorphic : long branchlets with clearly spirally arranged , sometimes scalelike leaves; short branchlets often reduced to slow growing lateral spurs bearing dense clusters of leaves at apex. Leaves solitary or in bundles of (1 or) 2-5(-8) when basally subtended by a leaf sheath ; leaf blade linear or needlelike, not decurrent. Cones unisexual . Pollen cones solitary or clustered, with numerous spirally arranged microsporophylls ; microsporophyll with 2 microsporangia; pollen usually 2-saccate (nonsaccate in Cedrus, Larix, Pseudotsuga, and most species of Tsuga) . Seed cones erect or pendulous, maturing in 1st, 2nd, or occasionally 3rd year, dehiscent or occasionally indehiscent, with many spirally arranged ovulate scales and bracts; ovulate scales usually smaller than bracts at pollination, with 2 upright ovules adaxially, free or only basally adnate with bracts, maturing into seed scales. Seed scales appressed, woody or leathery, variable in shape and size, with 2 seeds adaxially, persistent or deciduous after cone maturity. Bracts free or adnate basally with seed scales, well developed or rudimentary , exserted or included . Seeds terminally winged (except in some species of Pinus) . Cotyledons 2-18. Germination hypogeal or epigeal. 2n = 24* (almost always) .

Ten or eleven genera and ca. 235 species: N hemisphere; ten genera (two endemic) and 108 species (43 endemic, 24 introduced ) in China.

Species of the Pinaceae are among the most valuable and commercially important plants in the world. Most species are trees, and are often excellent sources of lumber, wood products, and resins; many are cultivated for afforestation and as ornamentals .[1]

Genus Abies

Trees evergreen , crown usually spirelike to conic, sometimes flat to round topped in age. Bark initially thin, smooth , bearing resin blisters, in age furrowed and/or flaking in plates . Branches whorled , irregular internodal branches occasionally produced by epicormic sprouting (growing from a dormant bud) ; short (spur) shoots absent; leaf scars prominent , ± circular to broadly elliptic , flush with twig surface, slightly depressed , or slightly raised evenly all around. Buds ovate or oblong , resinous or not, apex rounded or pointed . Leaves borne singly, persisting 5 or more years, spirally arranged but often proximally twisted so as to appear either 1-ranked (pointing up like toothbrush bristles ) or 2-ranked, sessile, typically constricted and often twisted above the somewhat broadened base , sheath absent; leaves on vegetative branches flattened, frequently grooved adaxially, usually notched to rounded at apex; leaves on fertile branches sometimes appearing 4-sided, upright, sharp-pointed to rounded at apex; resin canals 2. Cones borne on year-old twigs . Pollen cones grouped, ovate or oblong-cylindric, leaving gall-like protuberances after falling, yellow to red, green, blue, or purple. Seed cones maturing in 1 season , erect , ovoid to oblong-cylindric or cylindric , not falling whole but scale by scale, cone axis persisting as an erect "spike" on branch ; scales shed individually, fan-shaped, lacking apophysis and umbo ; bracts included to exserted. Seeds winged , the wing-seed juncture bearing resin sac; cotyledons 4--10. x =12.

Species ca. 42: widespread in north temperate regions , North America, Mexico, Central America, Eurasia (s to Himalayas, s China, and Taiwan), n Africa.

In Abies several traditionally accepted species have closely allied sibling species , e.g. , A. balsamea -- A. fraseri, A. bifolia -- A. lasiocarpa, and A. magnifica -- A. procera. Other species may be more distinct morphologically, but many of these still appear to have evolved in geographic isolation without strong reproductive barriers developing. Thus, when distributions of species overlap, introgression between the taxa is the rule ; this may make it difficult to assign certain individuals to a species. In the interests of nomenclatural stability , I have accepted the taxa recognized by the U.S. Forest Service (E.L. Little Jr. 1979). This classification does not recognize varieties based on variations in bract characteristics but recognizes species that perhaps would be treated as varieties in other conifer genera. The only exceptions to this treatment are some necessary changes within A. concolor and A. lasiocarpa. Cases of introgression are discussed under the taxa involved. Some distinct or possibly distinct geographic populations deserve further study and may warrant future taxonomic recognition.

Most North American firs are major components of vegetation, especially in the boreal, Pacific Coast coniferous , and western montane coniferous forests, where they are important for watershed management . They are cut for pulpwood and lumber and, largely from plantations, for Christmas trees . All our species, especially Abies concolor, and several exotics are grown---some more than others---as ornamentals . Firs provide cover , and their leaves are important as food, for various birds and mammals. Species of Abies frequently have a pleasant odor; their foliage has been used as a stuffing material for pillows . Most commercial products with "pine odors" are in fact scented with essential oils distilled from Abies foliage by Russian farmers. A similar oil could be derived from balsam fir in North America.[2]

Habitat

Ecology: Populations are scattered and confined to areas of dense montane forest .[3]

Taxonomy

[ Back to top ]

Similar Species

[ Back to top ]

Members of the genus Abies

There are approximately 507 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

A. ajanensis · A. alba (European Silver Fir) · A. alba-Hybride · A. alba f. pendula (European Silver Fir) · A. alba 'Green Spiral' (Green Spiral Contorted Silver Fir) · A. alba 'King's Dwarf' · A. alba 'Nana' · A. alba 'Schwarzwald' · A. alba var. calabrica · A. albertiana · A. alcockiana · A. alcoqueana · A. alvordensis · A. amabilis (Pacific Silver Fir) · A. americana · A. apollinis · A. araragi · A. arizonica · A. arizonica 'Compacta' · A. arnoldiana · A. arnoldiana 'Cyrille' · A. balsamea (Canada Balsam) · A. balsamea f. hudsonia (Hudsonia Dwarf Silver Fir) · A. balsamea fraseri (Balsam Fir) · A. balsamea 'Hudsonia' · A. balsamea Hudsonia Group · A. balsamea 'Jamie' · A. balsamea lasiocarpa (Subalpine Fir) · A. balsamea 'Le Feber' · A. balsamea 'Renswoude' · A. lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa · A. balsamea 'Tyler Blue' · A. balsamea var. balsamea · A. balsamea var. nana (Dwarf Balsam Fir) · A. balsamea var. phanerolepis · A. balsamea var. phanerolepis 'Bear Swamp' · A. balsamea 'Verkade's Prostrate' · A. balsamea x sibirica (Balsam Fir) · A. balsamen · A. batavorum · A. beissneriana · A. beshanzuensis · A. bicolor · A. bifolia · A. borisii-regis (King Boris Fir) · A. borisii-regis 'Pendula' · A. bornemuelleriana · A. brachyphylla · A. brachytyla · A. bracteata (Bristle-Cone Fir) · A. brunoniana · A. candicans · A. carpatica · A. cedroides · A. cephalonica (Grecian Fir) · A. cephalonica 'Compacta' · A. cephalonica 'Greg's Broom' · A. cephalonica 'Meyer's Dwarf' (Greek Fir) · A. cephalonica var. cephalonica · A. chaneyi · A. chengii · A. chensiensis (Shensi Fir) · A. chensiensis chensiensis · A. chensiensis salouenensis · A. chensiensis salouensis · A. chensiensis subsp. salouenensis · A. chensiensis subsp. yulongxueshanensis · A. chensiensis var. salouensis · A. chensiensis yulongxueshanensis · A. chiloensis · A. chilrowensis · A. chinensis · A. cilicica (Cilica Fir) · A. cilicica cilicica · A. cilicica isaurica · A. clambrasiliana · A. clanbrassiliana · A. coahuilensis · A. coerulescens · A. communis · A. concolor (Rocky Mountain White Fir) · A. concoloroides · A. concolor 'Archer's Dwarf' · A. concolor 'Argentea Wattezii' · A. concolor 'Birthday Broom' · A. concolor 'Blue Cloak' · A. concolor 'Blue Sapphire' · A. concolor 'Blue Spreader' · A. concolor 'Candicans' (Colorado Fir) · A. concolor 'Fagerhult' · A. concolor 'Gables Weeping' (Gable's Weeping Colorado Fir) · A. concolor 'Glauca Compacta' · A. concolor 'Glauca Nana' · A. concolor 'Glenmore' · A. concolor 'Green Globe' (Colorado Fir) · A. concolor 'Hillier Broom' · A. concolor 'Hillier's Dwarf' · A. concolor 'Husky Pup' · A. concolor lasiocarpa · A. concolor lowiana

More Info

[ Back to top ]

Further Reading

[ Back to top ]

Notes

[ Back to top ]

Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Liguo Fu, Nan Li, Thomas S. Elias & Robert R. Mill "Pinaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 11. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Richard S. Hunt "Abies". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. Conifer Specialist Group 2000. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 19, 2008. [back]
Last Revised: 2009-04-27