Balsam Fir

Plant Characteristics

Origin:	✈	NE United States

Cultivation

Sunset Zones:		3-7, 15-17, 36-38, 42-44

Scientific Names

Abies >

balsamea >

Abies balsamea - Balsam Fir. Pyramidal tree up to 50ft tall with dark green needles. Doesn't thrive in hot-summer climates. Has legendary fragrance, making it popular for wreaths and Christmas trees.

ExpandRead about Balsam Fir in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Balsam Fir. Balm Of Gilead Fir. Fig. 60. Tree, 50-80 ft.: trunk 17-30 in. in diam.: lvs. dark green and lustrous above, pale below, rounded or obtusely short-pointed and occasionally emarginate, acute or acuminate on fertile branches: cones oblong, cylindrical, purple, 2.5-4 in. long; bracts shorter or rarely slightly longer than their scales. E. N. Amer. from Labrador and the valley of the Athabasca to Iowa and the mts. of Va. —Wood occasionally used for lumber; Canadian balsam, or balsam of fir, is obtained from the bark; in cult, loses its beauty early. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

More information about this species can be found on the genus page.

Cultivation

calendar?
January:
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:
Notes:

Do you have cultivation info on this plant? Edit this section!

Propagation

Do you have propagation info on this plant? Edit this section!

Pests and diseases

Do you have pest and disease info on this plant? Edit this section!

Varieties

• Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis - Bracted Balsam Fir
• 'Nana' is a dwarf variety good in rock gardens and containers.
• Var. columnaris. Branches very short, turned upward at the ends.
• Var. hudsdnia, Engelm. (syn. A. hudsdnica), is a dwarf form.
• Var. lutoscens. Lvs. white, yellow or straw-colored when exposed to the sun.

Gallery

If you have a photo of this plant, please upload it! Plus, there may be other photos available for you to add.

• 

  photo 1

• 

  photo 2

• 

  photo 3

External links

• w:Balsam Fir. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Balsam Fir QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)