Abies Mill. (1754), the fir, contains about 50 species from the northern hemisphere, in the family Pinaceae.

Description Trees to 80m, usually neat and narrowly pyramidal with stiff whorls of branches; many species are fast growing in good soils, reaching around 30m in 30 years. The leaves are evergreen, needle-like, usually spirally arranged but sometimes divided into 2 untidy ranks, with white lines of stomata beneath, mostly 2–5cm long. The foliage is often pleasantly aromatic. The male flowers are small, densely clustered on the shoots, and often red, blue, or purple; the females are generally green, sometimes purple. Pollination is by wind. The cones are upright, large, to 25cm high, usually high up, with rounded scales and often with exserted, pointed bracts, and breaking up on the tree. Seeds have wings.

Key Recognition Features The needles finally fall off leaving a smooth scar, rather than the peg-like scar left by the needles on Picea. The upright cones also contrast with the pendulous cones of Picea.

Evolution and Relationships A widespread genus, close to Cedrus in cone and Picea in leaf. Many species are reduced to small populations on isolated mountains in areas where the climate has become drier since the ice ages.

Ecology and Geography Abies usually grow on good soils in mountain forest, becoming stunted as they approach the top of the treeline. Several species are found in western North America and in China and Japan, fewer in Europe. Isolated species are A. numidica de Lannoy ex Carr., from Mount Babor in Algeria; A. pinsapo Boiss., from near Ronda in southern Spain; and perhaps the most rare, A. nebrodensis (Lojac.) Mattei from Sicily. Abies bracteata (D. Don) A. Poit., from the Santa Lucia mountains along the coast of southern California, has the longest leaves and distinctive long, exserted bracts with globules of resin.

Comment These are the finest trees of the Christmas-tree type, and regularly reach 30m in gardens. They are also often planted and harvested for timber. Many are very ornamental; A. koreana E.H. Wilson is an attractive dwarf, producing deep blue cones in profusion. Abies concolor (Gordon) Lindl. ex Hildebr. has distinctive, rather sparse foliage, with needles grey on both sides.