Fir

The English name "fir" derives from the Old Norse fyri or the Old Danish fyr. The generic name Abies is the Latin for "fir". == Description ==

Fir trees are tall, often 40–60 metres and sometimes approaching 100 metres high, usually with a single straight trunk. The crown starts conical, but becomes more varied in shape with age. The primary branches are arranged in whorls around the trunk. Abies alba PID1015-3.jpg|A. alba – the underside of leaves have two whitish strips formed by wax-covered stomatal bands, while their bases are shaped like suction cups. Abies grandis 5359.JPG|A. grandis foliage – upper side of the leaves, showing the leaves lying flat either side of the shoot Punta de rama pinsapo (Abies pinsapo) (8620598021).jpg|Foliage of A. pinsapo showing the radial leaf arrangement in this species File:Abies mariesii2.JPG|Most firs are in between flat and radial, often with longer leaves at the sides, and shorter leaves above the shoot; here, A. mariesii in Japan File:Abies nordmanniana leaf cross-section.jpg|Cross-section of needle leaf of Abies nordmanniana Cones Firs differ from other conifers such as spruces in having erect, cylindrical female seed cones long that disintegrate at maturity to release the winged seeds. Seed cones take a year to become mature; they start out green or other bright colour, darkening as they develop to dark brown or black. The leaflike seed bracts are visible when young, and in some species remain so. The seeds sit in thin cups; each seed has a triangle-shaped wing. The male cones are pendulous (dangling) and resemble catkins; both pollen and seeds are wind-dispersed. Abies cone & bits.jpg|Intact and disintegrated Bulgarian fir cones Abies holophylla Manchurian Fir cones.jpg|Immature cones of some species are green; here Manchurian fir Abies holophylla Manchurian Fir Abies holophylla disintegrating cones.jpg|Disintegrating cones of Manchurian fir Abies pindrow India3.jpg|Pindrow fir Abies pindrow with dark purple cones Caucasian Fir, young cultivated tree with cones, Northumberland.jpg|Caucasian Fir Abies nordmanniana young cones with reddish scales and yellow-green bracts Noble Fir, young naturalised tree with cones, Northumberland.jpg|Noble fir Abies procera, with five heavy (20 cm, approx 0.5 kg each) seed cones File:Abies pollen cones Marki 4.JPG|Pollen cones == Evolution ==

Fossil history Abies milleri foliage and axis. Early Eocene, 49.5 mya The oldest pollen assignable to the genus dates to the Late Cretaceous in Siberia, with records of leaves and reproductive organs across the Northern Hemisphere from the Eocene onwards. External phylogeny Based on transcriptome analysis, Keteleeria is sister to Abies, with the Pseudolariceae the next nearest relatives. }} Internal phylogeny Phylogeny of Abies based on phylogenomic analysis in 2021: }} Taxonomy Taxonomic history In 1754, Philip Miller set up the genus Abies; he also defined the type species Abies alba. In 1878, George Engelmann classified only a part of the genus; The sections are based on Stull et al. 2021. - (Priabonian-Chattian; Colorado) Section Incertae sedis • †Abies milleri – (Extinct) Early Eocene == Ecology==

Distribution and habitat Firs are distributed around the Northern Hemisphere. The genus is native across much of North America, Eurasia, Turkey, Syria, Morocco, and Algeria. It is introduced in Scandinavia and the British Isles. Abies sibirica grows as far north as 67°N in Siberia, while A. guatemalensis grows as far south as 15°N in Central America. Most firs favour cold climates, whether at altitude in mountain ranges or at high latitude. Many species have relict distributions, occupying small areas of what were once much larger distributions. Only a few species are widespread. File:Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus plexippus) on Oyamel fir (Abies religiosa) Piedra Herrada.jpg|Abies religiosa with roosting monarch butterflies, Piedra Herrada, Valle de Bravo, Mexico File:Independence Pass, CO 5.jpg|Fir forest at high altitude,Independence Pass, Colorado File:Abies lasiocarpa 5922 (cropped).JPG|The narrow conical shape and downward-drooping limbs of northern conifers,like Abies lasiocarpa, help them shed snow. Pests and diseases Firs are hosts to a variety of invertebrate pests and fungal diseases. Pest groups include adelgid bugs, aphids, bark beetles, clearwing moths, conifer twig weevils, caterpillars of some moths, nematodes, sawflies, spider mites, and spittlebugs. Diseases of firs include annosus (Heterobasidion) root rot, cankers, and needle cast. File:1955. Pseudohylesinus grandis egg galleries and larvae on inner bark of silver fir. Baker River District, Mt. Baker National Forest. Washington. (34466337570).jpg|Galleries and larvae of Pseudohylesinus grandis beetles on Abies alba File:Paradiplosis tumifex galls01.jpg|Galls of the gall midge Paradiplosis tumifex in needle leaves of Abies balsamea File:Pucciniastrum epilobii (42).jpg|Pucciniastrum epilobii basidiomycete fungus infecting needle leaves of Abies alba File:Melampsorella caryophyllacearum Italy2.jpg|Witch's broom caused by the basidiomycete fungus Melampsorella caryophyllacearum == Uses ==

Unlike the Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga), firs produce softwood, often used as pulp or for the manufacture of plywood and rough timber. It is commonly used in Canadian Lumber Standard graded wood, used for internal stud walls and similar applications. Abies spectabilis is used in Ayurveda as an antitussive (cough suppressant) drug. Firs produce a variety of terpenoids that could have practical uses. Terpenoid composition of the bark varies by genetics, geography, age and size of the tree. Caucasian fir, noble fir, Fraser's fir and balsam fir are popular Christmas trees, generally considered to be the best for this purpose, with aromatic foliage that does not shed many needles on drying out. Many form decorative garden trees, notably Korean fir and Fraser's fir, which produce brightly coloured cones even when very young, still only tall. Many fir species are grown in botanic gardens and other specialist tree collections in Europe and North America. == In art ==

File:Cranach Madonna under the fir tree.jpg|Madonna under the fir tree - Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1510 Lucas Cranach the Elder painted Madonna under the fir tree for Wrocław Cathedral in 1510. The painting was taken to Germany after the Second World War for restoration, but a copy was made and substituted for the original. The forgery was discovered, partly because the copy was on a fir board where the original was on lime wood. The original was returned to Poland in 2012, the most valuable painting to be restituted to the country. == See also ==