Amabilis fir
- Latin name: Abies amabilis (Dougl. Ex Loud.) Dougl. Ex Forbes
- French name: Sapin gracieux
- Synonym(s): Pacific silver fir
- Taxonomic Serial Number: 181824
- Hardiness zone: C6, NA5
Description
Leaves
Form
- Tip notched
- Needles on the lower surface and sides of the twig spreading horizontally and curved upward
- On upper surface, needles shorter, appressed, grooved, and pointed forward
- Odour of oranges when crushed
- Resin ducts small, located near the lower surface
Length
- 20–30 mm
Colour
- Upper surface shiny dark green, often with a few white dots toward the tip
- Several lines of white dots on lower surface
Buds
Form
- Rounded
- Resinous
Length
- 3–7 mm
Colour
- Dark bluish-brown
Twigs
Form
- Stout, minutely hairy
Colour
- Dark yellowish-brown to greyish-brown
Seed cones (mature)
Form
- Ovoid-conical
Length
- 9–14 cm
Colour
- Brown
Structure
- Scales as wide as they are long
- Bracts shorter than the scales, with shoulders sloping away from the broad base of a long wedge-shaped tip
Timing
- Cones ripen in mid-August
- Seeds shed a few weeks later
Seeds
Length
- Seed 8–16 mm
- Seed wing 25–40 mm
Bark
Form
- Smooth
- Becoming scaly and grooved at the base of mature trees
Colour
- Light grey, blotched with white patches
Wood
Texture
- Light, soft, weak
Colour
- Creamy-white to yellowish-brown
Morphology
- No distinct heartwood
Uses
- Wood pulp, lumber
Size
Height
- To 40 m, occasionally larger
Diameter
- To 90 cm
Maximum age
- 300 years
Tree form
Forest-grown
Trunk
- Slender
Crown
- Slender, conical
- Principal branches mostly horizontal
- Lower ones drooping, persisting after they die
Root system
- Moderately deep, wide-spreading
Habitat
Site
- Variety of soils
Light tolerance
- Very shade-tolerant
Associated species
- Occasionally grows in pure stands, but more often mixed with Sitka spruce, western hemlock, Douglas-fir, and western redcedar
Range
Subalpine forests of western British Columbia and as far south as northern California
Photos
Photos
Insects and mites
Insects that cause damage to this tree.
Cones or seeds
Foliage or buds
-
Balsam woolly adelgid
Scientific name: Adelges piceae (Ratzeburg)
- Cosmia elisae (J.B. Smith)
-
Dioryctria moth
Scientific name: Dioryctria pseudotsugella Munroe
-
Douglas-fir bud moth
Scientific name: Zeiraphera hesperiana (Mutuura & Freeman)
- Egira hiemalis (Grote)
- Enypia venata (Grote)
- Eupithecia longipalpata (Packard)
- Eupithecia olivacea (Taylor)
- Gabriola dyari (Taylor)
-
Gray spruce looper
Scientific name: Caripeta divisata Walker
-
Green velvet looper
Scientific name: Epirrita autumnata (Harrison)
-
Greenstriped forest looper
Scientific name: Melanolophia imitata (Walker)
-
Hemlock sawfly
Scientific name: Neodiprion tsugae Middleton
- Hydriomena irata Swett
-
Larch pug moth
Scientific name: Eupithecia annulata (Hulst)
- Nepytia umbrosaria nigrovenaria (Packard)
-
Packard’s gridle moth
Scientific name: Enypia packardata (Taylor)
- Pero behrensaria (Packard)
-
Pero moth
Scientific name: Pero morrisonaria (Hy. Edwards)
-
Phantom hemlock looper
Scientific name: Nepytia phantasmaria (Strecker)
- Promylea lunigerella Ragonot
-
Redlined conifer caterpillar
Scientific name: Feralia jocosa (Gn.)
-
Saddleback looper
Scientific name: Ectropis crepuscularia (Denis and Schiffermuller)
-
Silverspotted tiger moth
Scientific name: Lophocampa argentata (Packard)
-
Spruce fir looper
Scientific name: Macaria signaria dispuncta (Walker)
-
Spruce tip moth; redstriped needleworm
Scientific name: Epinotia radicana (Heinr.)
- Synaxis pallulata (Hulst)
- Syndemis afflictana Walker
- Syngrapha celsa (Henry Edwards)
- Thallophaga hyperborea (Hulst)
-
Western blackheaded budworm
Scientific name: Acleris gloverana (Walsingham)
-
Western hemlock looper
Scientific name: Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa (Hulst)
-
Whitelined looper
Scientific name: Epirrita pulchraria (Taylor)
- Xestia mustelina (Smith)
-
Yellowlined forest looper
Scientific name: Cladara limitaria (Walker)
Roots, bark, stem or trunk, or branches
Diseases caused by pathogens
Diseases caused by pathogens that cause damage to this tree.
Fir needle cast (Lirula abietis-concoloris)
Pathogen name: Lirula abietis-concoloris (Mayr ex Dearn.) Darker
-
Brown cubical sap rot
Pathogen name: Gloeophyllum sepiarium (Wulfen: Fr.) P. Karst.
-
Fir needle cast (Lirula abietis-concoloris)
Pathogen name: Lirula abietis-concoloris (Mayr ex Dearn.) Darker
-
Fir needle cast (Lirula punctata)
Pathogen name: Lirula punctata (Darker) Darker
-
Fir-lady fern rust
Pathogen name: Uredinopsis longimucronata
-
Fir-oak fern rust (Uredinopsis phegopteridis)
Pathogen name: Uredinopsis phegopteridis
-
Fir-ostrich fern rust
Pathogen name: Uredinopsis struthiopteridis
-
Fir-willow rust
Pathogen name: Melampsora abietis-capraearum Tub.
-
Ribes-willow rust
Pathogen name: Melampsora ribesii-purpureae
-
Spruce needle cast (Lophodermium uncinatum)
Pathogen name: Lophodermium uncinatum Darker
-
True fir blight
Pathogen name: Virgella robusta (Tub.) Darker
Cones or seeds
-
Brown felt blight
Pathogen name: Herpotrichia juniperi (Duby) Petr.
Foliage or buds
-
Brown felt blight
Pathogen name: Herpotrichia juniperi (Duby) Petr.
-
Fir broom rust
Pathogen name: Melampsorella elatina (Alb. & Schwein.) Arthur
-
Fir-blueberry rust
Pathogen name: Pucciniastrum geoppertianum (Kuehn) Kleb.
-
Fir-fireweed rust
Pathogen name: Pucciniastrum epilobii G. Otth
-
Fir-oak-fern rust (Hyalopsora aspidiotus)
Pathogen name: Hyalopsora aspidiotus (Magn.) Magn.
-
Hemlock-willow rust
Pathogen name: Melampsora epitea Thuem.
Roots, bark, stem or trunk, or branches
Annosus root and butt rot (Heterobasidion occidentale)
Pathogen name: Heterobasidion occidentale Otrosina & Garbel
White butt rot - White laminated rot
Pathogen name: Ceriporiopsis rivulosa (Berk. & Curtis) Gilb. & Ryvarden
Distribution map
