Puget Sound Native Tree
Botanical Garden
Abies lasiocarpa
Abies lasiocarpa
Introduced CONIFERS
National Champions
Subalpine Fir
Champion Tree Statistics
HEIGHT
DIAMETER
AGE
160'
6.5'
400
Typical Large Mature Tree Dimensions
Height
Diameter
60 FEET
2-3 FEET
200-300 YEARS
AGE
The Introduced CONIFERS
of the
Puget Sound Native Tree
Botanical Garden
Subalpine Fir
Abies lasiocarpa
Introduced to the property in 2016. Becoming established.
Abies lasiocarpa
Introduced CONIFERS
DOLPHIN PLACE Specimens
Subalpine Fir
five feet
2"
2018
HIEGHT
DIAMETER
YEAR AQUIRED
within 70 miles, Olympics
Provenance
Needles
Subalpine fir needles are short (1-1.5 in), bluish-green, flattened, and have two distinct white lines (stomata) on the underside, with a wide whitish band on top, giving them a silvery-blue look and making branches feel soft (not prickly). They are spirally arranged but curve upwards, often appearing uniformly upswept and crowded, making the tree look "manicured" or dense.
Cones
Subalpine fir cones are distinctive: they are purple, cylindrical, grow upright like candles on the highest branches, and are often sticky with resin. They are 2-4 inches long and, unlike other firs, they don't fall whole but rather disintegrate on the tree, leaving only a central spike, so you rarely find intact cones on the ground, just scales.
Bark
The bark of a subalpine fir (*Abies lasiocarpa) is smooth, grayish-white, and thin on young trees, often covered with prominent resin blisters; as the tree matures, it becomes rougher, developing shallow furrows or scales, especially near the base, but generally remains thinner and smoother than many other firs, with a tendency to reveal reddish-brown inner layers where it splits.
Abies lasiocarpa
Abies lasiocarpa