Douglas-fir
- Latin name: Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii
- French name: Douglas vert
- Synonym(s): Douglas coast Douglas-fir , common Douglas-fir , green Douglas-fir
- Taxonomic Serial Number: 183426
- Hardiness zone: C7, NA6
Description
Leaves
Form
- Needles evergreen
- Remaining on tree for 5–8 years
- Flat, flexible, grooved above
- Often sharp-pointed
- Narrowed at the base into a slender short stalk, set on a leaf-cushion
- Needles spirally arranged along the twig
- On horizontal branches, spreading out from the sides in 2 ranks or spreading out from 3 sides and moderately parted on the upper side
- Midvein prominent
- 2 resin ducts visible in cross-section
- Slight apple odour when crushed
Length
- 2–3 cm
Colour
- Upper surface bright yellowish-green
- Lines of white dots on lower surface
Buds
Form
- Terminal bud narrowly conical, sharp-pointed
- A small cluster of lateral buds occurs just below the terminal bud, separated by a few needles
- Other lateral buds scattered along the twig
Length
- Up to 10 mm
Colour
- Many shiny reddish-brown overlapping scales
Twigs
Form
- Moderately stout and flexible, hairy
- Leaf-cushion a low ridge of bark darkened at the forward end
- After the needles have fallen, the branchlets show slightly raised oval scars on the leaf-cushions
Colour
- Greenish-brown becoming greyish-brown
Seed cones (immature)
Form
- Conelets borne in the upper part of the crown, in leaf axils near the forward end of previous year’s twig
- Seed-cone buds are larger than shoot buds
Length
- About 30 mm
Colour
- At pollination, green to purple to red
Structure
- Oblong at pollination
- Erect, short-stalked, with distinctive 3-pronged bracts extending beyond the scales and partially obscuring them
- After pollination, the cone stalk bends downward
Timing
- Mature in late summer of first season
Pollen cones
Form
- Cylindrical to conical, fleshy, catkin-like, pendulous
- Pollen-cone buds are paler than shoot buds
Length
- 10–20 mm
Colour
- Yellow to orange-red
Structure
- Borne in the upper-middle, middle, and lower parts of the crown, in leaf axils of previous year’s twigs
Timing
- Pollination takes place in early spring as new leafy shoots start to elongate; cones then wither and fall away
Seed cones (mature)
Form
- Narrowly ovoid
- Pendulous on stout stalks
Length
- 6–9 cm
Colour
- Yellowish-brown to purplish-brown
Structure
- Scales numerous, broad, rounded, leathery
- Bracts prominent, 3-pronged, longer than the scales
Timing
- Seeds shed throughout fall, winter, and spring
- Cones drop intact after seed dispersal
Seeds
Form
- Somewhat triangular
Length
- Seed 5–7 mm
- Seed wing 15–18 mm
Colour
- Seed shiny reddish brown
Seedlings
Form
- Newly germinated seedlings with a stalk surmounted by a whorl of 5–10 upcurved cotyledons with smooth edges
- Needles form above the cotyledons, clustered at first, later spreading along the new shoot
Length
- Seedlings about 4 cm
- Cotyledons about 2 cm
Colour
- Cotyledons green
Bark
Form
- Smooth, thin, resin-blistered when young
- Becoming deeply furrowed with irregular, broad ridges
- Up to 30 cm thick
Colour
- Grey when young, becoming dark reddish-brown
Wood
Texture
- Moderately heavy and hard
- Exceptionally strong
Colour
- Heartwood reddish-brown
- Sapwood yellowish-white
Morphology
- Marked contrast between earlywood and latewood
- Resin ducts present
Uses
- Wood pulp, lumber
- Used for structural purposes
- Shipbuilding, laminated beams, interior and exterior finishings
- Boxes, railway ties, piling and decking for marine structures
Size
Height
- To 60 m
Diameter
- To 200 cm
Maximum age
- 500 years
Tree form
Forest-grown
Trunk
- In old trees, long, branch-free, cylindrical
Crown
- In old trees, short, columnar, flat-topped
- In young trees, narrowly conical crowns often extend to the ground
- Principal branches in irregular whorls at the annual nodes, lesser branches in between
- Dead branches may remain on the trunk for years
Root system
- Strong, wide-spreading
Habitat
Site
- Varied soils, best growth on deep, well-drained, sandy loams and where moisture in the soil and atmosphere is plentiful
- Commonly a pioneer species that regenerates after forest fires, logging, and other disturbances
Light tolerance
- Requires some shade in first year but then thrives in sunlight
- Less shade-tolerant than its associates
Associated species
- Western hemlock, amabilis fir, western redcedar, and grand fir
Range
Vancouver Island and the Pacific coast from central British Columbia to California
Photos
Photos
Anthony Scullion
Insects and mites
Insects that cause damage to this tree.
-
Douglas-fir beetle
Scientific name: Dendroctonus pseudotsugae (Hopkins)
-
Western blackheaded budworm
Scientific name: Acleris gloverana (Walsingham)
Cones or seeds
-
Western spruce budworm
Scientific name: Choristoneura occidentalis occidentalis Freeman
Foliage or buds
Hemlock looper
-
Lambdina fiscellaria
(Guenée)
- Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria
- Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa
- Lambdina fiscellaria somniaria
- Argyrotaenia dorsalana (Dyar)
- Caripeta aequaliaria Grote
-
Ceanothus silk moth
Scientific name: Hyalophora euryalis (Walker)
-
Cooley spruce gall adelgid
Scientific name: Adelges cooleyi (Gillette)
-
Dioryctria moth
Scientific name: Dioryctria pseudotsugella Munroe
-
Douglas-fir bud moth
Scientific name: Zeiraphera hesperiana (Mutuura & Freeman)
-
Douglas-fir tussock moth
Scientific name: Orgyia pseudotsugata (McDunnough)
- Egira hiemalis (Grote)
- Eupithecia longipalpata (Packard)
- Eupithecia subfuscata (Haworth)
- Glena nigricaria (Barnes and McDunnough)
-
Golden buprestid
Scientific name: Buprestis aurulenta Linnaeus
-
Hemlock looper
Scientific names:
-
Lambdina fiscellaria
(Guenée)
- Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria
- Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa
- Lambdina fiscellaria somniaria
-
Lambdina fiscellaria
(Guenée)
- Hydriomena irata Swett
-
Larch pug moth
Scientific name: Eupithecia annulata (Hulst)
-
Pero moth
Scientific name: Pero morrisonaria (Hy. Edwards)
-
Pine measuringworm moth
Scientific name: Hypagyrtis piniata (Pack.)
-
Pine needle scale
Scientific name: Chionaspis pinifoliae (Fitch)
-
Pine tussock moth
Scientific name: Dasychira grisefacta (Dyar)
- Protoboarmia porcelaria (Guenee)
-
Purplestriped shootworm
Scientific name: Zeiraphera unfortunana Powell
-
Rusty tussock moth
Scientific name: Orgyia antiqua (L.)
-
Saddleback looper
Scientific name: Ectropis crepuscularia (Denis and Schiffermuller)
-
Small pine looper
Scientific name: Eupithecia palpata Pack.
-
Speckled green fruitworm
Scientific name: Orthosia hibisci (Guenée)
-
Spruce spider mite
Scientific name: Oligonychus ununguis (Jacobi)
-
Spruce tip moth; redstriped needleworm
Scientific name: Epinotia radicana (Heinr.)
- Syndemis afflictana Walker
-
Western blackheaded budworm
Scientific name: Acleris gloverana (Walsingham)
-
Western spruce budworm
Scientific name: Choristoneura occidentalis occidentalis Freeman
-
White slaut
Scientific name: Tetracis cachexiata (Guenée)
-
Whitelined looper
Scientific name: Epirrita pulchraria (Taylor)
-
Whitetriangle leafroller
Scientific name: Clepsis persicana (Fitch)
- Xestia mustelina (Smith)
Roots, bark, stem or trunk, or branches
Diseases caused by pathogens
Diseases caused by pathogens that cause damage to this tree.
Brown cubical butt and pocket rot of cedar
Pathogen name: Oligoporus sericeomollis (Romell) Bondartseva
-
Brown cubical butt and pocket rot of cedar
Pathogen name: Oligoporus sericeomollis (Romell) Bondartseva
-
Diplodia blight
Pathogen name: Diplodia sapinea (Fr.) Fuckel
Cones or seeds
-
Sirococcus Shoot Blight
Pathogen name: Sirococcus conigenus (Dc.) Cannon & Minter
Foliage or buds
Douglas-fir needle cast
- Rhabdocline epiphylla (Parker & Reid) J.K. Stone & D.S. Gernandt
- Rhabdocline oblonga (Parker & Reid) J.K. Stone & D.S. Gernandt
- Rhabdocline obovata (Parker & Reid) J.K. Stone & D.S. Gernandt
- Rhabdocline pseudotsugae Syd.
- Rhabdocline weirii A.K. Parker & J. Reid
-
Conifer-aspen rust
Pathogen name: Melampsora medusae f. sp. tremuloidis Shain
-
Conifer-poplar rust
Pathogen name: Melampsora occidentalis Jacks.
-
Diplodia blight
Pathogen name: Diplodia sapinea (Fr.) Fuckel
-
Douglas-fir needle cast
Pathogen names:
- Rhabdocline epiphylla (Parker & Reid) J.K. Stone & D.S. Gernandt
- Rhabdocline oblonga (Parker & Reid) J.K. Stone & D.S. Gernandt
- Rhabdocline obovata (Parker & Reid) J.K. Stone & D.S. Gernandt
- Rhabdocline pseudotsugae Syd.
- Rhabdocline weirii A.K. Parker & J. Reid
-
Sirococcus Shoot Blight
Pathogen name: Sirococcus conigenus (Dc.) Cannon & Minter
-
Snow blight
Pathogen name: Phacidium infestans P. Karst
Roots, bark, stem or trunk, or branches
Annosus root and butt rot (Heterobasidion occidentale)
Pathogen name: Heterobasidion occidentale Otrosina & Garbel
Brown cubical butt and pocket rot of cedar
Pathogen name: Oligoporus sericeomollis (Romell) Bondartseva
Pitted sap rot
Pathogen name: Trichaptum abietinum (Dicks.) Ryvarden (Common names for this fungus: purple conk fungus, purple-toothed polypore)
Schweinitzii butt rot
Pathogen name: Phaeolus schweinitzii (Fr.) Pat. (Common names for the fungus: velvet-topped polypore, dyer’s polypore)
White spongy trunk rot
Pathogen name: Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr. (Common name for this fungus: tinder conk)
Distribution map
