Abies magnifica description (original) (raw)

Range of Abies magnifica. Populations north of the line at 40°N are of Shasta red fir (Burns & Honkala 1990).

Seed cone [L.A. Vorobik] (Hickman 1993).

Abies magnifica A. Murray 1863

Common Names

California red fir, silvertip fir (Peattie 1950), Shasta red fir (Hunt 1993).

Taxonomic notes

"Abies magnifica often exists in extensive high elevation stands in the Sierra Nevada; its close relative A. procera occurs in small mountaintop populations relatively isolated from one another. As expected for isolated populations, A. procera produces large interpopulation variation in morphology (Maze and Parker 1983) and chemistry (Zavarin et al. 1978). Where the two species meet in southern Oregon and northern California, many populations are intermediate; these have been called A. magnifica var. shastensis Lemmon. The status of such intermediates is unsettled. They may be accepted as hybrids between A. magnifica and A. procera (Liu 1971) or, alternatively, the paleontological record suggests that the two species may have originated from intermediates (Zavarin et al. 1978). Individuals from this region should be assigned to A. magnifica, A. procera, or A. magnifica × procera (Parker 1963), depending on the morphologic criteria selected to differentiate the species.

"An extensive study of this variation, as proposed by Zavarin et al. (1978), is warranted. Such a study should consider data from the type localities as a basis of comparison. Moreover, to evaluate this situation critically, one should first determine if any genetic exchange occurs between Abies lasiocarpa and A. procera that may complicate an evaluation" (Hunt 1993).

Description

Trees to 57 m tall and 250 cm dbh; "crown narrowly conic. Bark grayish, thin, with age thickening and becoming deeply furrowed with ridges being often 4 times wider than furrows, plates reddish. Branches ascending in upper crown, descending in lower crown; twigs opposite to whorled, light yellow to ± tan, reddish pubescent for 1-2 years. Buds hidden by leaves or exposed, usually dark brown, ovoid, small, not resinous or with resin drop near tip, apex rounded; basal scales short, broad, equilaterally triangular, densely pubescent, not resinous, margins entire to crenate, apex sharp-pointed. Leaves 2-3.7 cm × 2 mm, mostly 1-ranked, flexible, the proximal portion often appressed to twig for 2-3 mm (best seen on abaxial surface of twig), distal portion divergent; cross section flat, with or without weak groove adaxially toward leaf base, or cross section 3-4-sided on fertile branches; odor camphorlike; abaxial surface with 2 glaucous bands, each band with 4-5 stomatal rows; adaxial surface blue-green to silvery blue, with single glaucous band that may divide into 2 toward leaf base, band with (8)10(13) stomatal rows at midleaf; apex rounded or, on fertile branches, somewhat pointed; resin canals small, near margins and abaxial epidermal layer. Pollen cones at pollination ± purple or reddish brown. Seed cones oblong-cylindric, 15-20 × 7-10 cm, purple at first but becoming yellowish brown or greenish brown, sessile, apex round; scales ca. 3 × 4 cm, pubescent; bracts included to exserted and reflexed (Shasta red fir) over scales. Seeds 15 × 6 mm, body dark reddish brown; wing about as long as body, rose; cotyledons 7-8. 2_n_=24" (Hunt 1993).

Hunt (1993) discriminates A. procera from A. magnifica according to this key:

It's a lot less explicit, but my favorite description of this tree was provided by John Muir (1894): "Happy the man with the freedom and the love to climb one of these superb trees in full flower and fruit. How admirable the forest-work of Nature is then seen to be, as one makes his way up through the midst of the broad, fronded branches, all arranged in exquisite order around the trunk, like the whorled leaves of lilies, and each branch and branchlet about as strictly pinnate as the most symmetrical fern-frond. The staminate cones are seen growing straight downward from the under side of the young branches in lavish profusion, making fine purple clusters amid the grayish-green foliage. On the topmost branches the fertile cones are set firmly on end like small casks. They are about six inches long, three wide, covered with a fine gray down, and streaked with crystal balsam that seems to have been poured upon each cone from above."

Range

USA: Oregon, California and Nevada at 1400-2700 m in mixed conifer forests (Hunt 1993). See also Thompson et al. (1999).

Big Tree

Height 52.4 m, dbh 295 cm, in Yosemite National Park, CA; also, height 76.8 m, dbh 153 cm, in Sequoia National Park, CA (Robert Van Pelt e-mail 18-Mar-1998).

Oldest

A citation of 518 years without supporting information; presumably a ring count (Carder 1995).

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

Observations

Fine stands are said to occur in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (Arno & Gyer 1973).

Remarks

See Also

Lanner 1983.

Vidakovic 1991.

FEIS database.

The Ecological Role of Fire in Sierran Conifer Forests.