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'''Firs''' (''Abies'') are a genus of between 45-55 species of [[evergreen]] [[Pinophyta|conifers]] in the family [[Pinaceae]]. All are [[tree]]s, and reach heights of 10-80 m (30-260 ft) tall with trunk diameters of 0.5-4 m (2-12 ft) when mature. Firs can be distinguished from other members of the pine family by their needle-like [[leaf|leaves]], attached to the twig by a base that resembles a small suction cup; and by erect, cylindrical [[Conifer cone|cones]] 5-25 cm (2-10 in) long that shatter at maturity to release the winged [[seed]]s.
'''Firs''' (''Abies'') are a genus of between 45-55 species of [[evergreen]] [[Pinophyta|conifers]] in the family [[Pinaceae]]. All are [[tree]]s, and reach heights of 10-80 m (30-260 ft) tall with trunk diameters of 0.5-4 m (2-12 ft) when mature. Firs can be distinguished from other members of the pine family by their needle-like [[leaf|leaves]], attached to the twig by a base that resembles a small suction cup; and by erect, cylindrical [[Conifer cone|cones]] 5-25 cm (2-10 in) long that shatter at maturity to release the winged [[seed]]s.
Birds are attracted by fir seeds.
Birds are attracted by fir seeds.
{{Inc|
ABIES (derivation doubtful). Pinaces. Fir, but the name spruce is often erroneously applied. Tall, pyramidal trees of temperate and cool climates, planted for ornament and for shelter, and also for timber. Leaves lanceolate or oblanceolate, entire, sessile, persistent for many years; on young plants and lower sterile branches flattened, usually deep green and lustrous above and silvery white beneath from the presence of many rows of stomata, rounded and variously notched at the apex, appearing 2-ranked by a twist at their base; on upper fertile branches crowded, more or less erect, often incurved or falcate, thickened or quadrangular, obtuse or acute: fls. axillary, appearing in early spring from buds formed the previous summer on branchlets of the year, surrounded by involucres of the enlarged scales of the fl.-buds; staminate fls. pendent on branches above the middle of the tree; pistillate fls. globular, ovoid or oblong, erect on the topmost branches: fr. an erect ovoid or oblong cylindrical cone, its scales longer or shorter than their bracts, separating at maturity from the stout persistent axis. Northern and mountainous regions of the northern hemisphere, often gregarious. Twenty-three species are distinguished; greatest segregation on the Cascade Mts. of Ore., in the countries adjacent to the Medit., and in Japan. Many species which have been referred to Abies are now included in Picea.
They are handsome in cultivation, but usually of short-lived beauty. The firs prefer moist, well-drained soil.}}
==Cultivation==
==Cultivation==
Grow in fertile, well drained moist soil. Full sun. Soil should be neutral to slightly acidic. Some wind shelter. Most tolerate shade and do best where summers are cool.
Grow in fertile, well drained moist soil. Full sun. Soil should be neutral to slightly acidic. Some wind shelter. Most tolerate shade and do best where summers are cool.
{{Inc|
In cultivation, firs are most beautiful while young, and usually lose their Tower branches and become thin and unsightly as they grow older, and many of the species have little ornamental value for more than fifty years. In the northern and eastern states, the most valuable ornamental species are the Colorado form of A. concolor, with pale or 1 bluish foliage, and the Japanese A. brachy- phyUa, with leaves that are dark green and very lustrous above and silvery beneath. In the United States, A. brachyphylla assumes a compact pyramidal form of growth, but in Japan old trees become, unlike those of any other fir. round-headed. The other Japanese fir that has been cultivated in the United States long enough to show its value as an ornamental tree, A. Veitchii, produces longer branches than A. brachyphylla and is of more open habit and is less valuable for ornamental use. After A. concolor and A. brachyphylla, the best fir trees for the eastern United States are A. cilicica from Asia Minor and A. Nordmanniana from the Caucasus. In its young state, A. cilicica forms a dense pyramid of gray-green foliage and as it grows in the Pinetum at Wellesley, Massachusetts, is an object of great beauty. A. Nordmanniana is one of the commonest fir trees cultivated in the eastern states, although it sometimes suffers from cold in New England, where it frequently becomes thin and unsightly. In the middle states, however, it is often an object of great beauty. The two eastern American species, A. bahamea and A. Fraseri, and the related species from the Rocky Mountains, A. lasiocarpa, grow badly in cultivation, and are shortlived and not handsome. Of the Pacific coast species, A. grandis can be kept alive in favorable situations in the eastern states, and A. amabilis, which grows slowly always in cultivation, is hardy but gives little promise of becoming of much value anywhere except on the mountains of northeastern America. The summers in the southern states are too hot for the successful cultivation of fir trees, and the climatic conditions of the Mississippi Valley are not favorable for their successful growth. In the parks and gardens of the Pacific states, fir trees grow better than in any other part of North America, and in the neighborhood of the Pacific Ocean can be grown successfully the firs of western North America, Mexico, Europe, India and eastern Asia.}}
===Propagation===
===Propagation===
Sow seeds in container in a cold from when they are ripe, or in late winter. Stratify for 3 weeks to aid in germination. Graft cultivars in winter.
Sow seeds in container in a cold from when they are ripe, or in late winter. Stratify for 3 weeks to aid in germination. Graft cultivars in winter.
{{Inc|
Propagation is mostly by seeds. The percentage of fertile seeds produced by firs is much smaller than that yielded by spruces and pines, and small crops of seedlings are often secured from large sowings of the seeds. The seeds lose their fertility sooner than those of many conifers and cannot be safely kept more than one or two years; they should be planted in carefully prepared seedbeds and covered with soil to a depth equal to the thickness of the seed. Young plants begin to appear at the end of a few weeks, and, as they are extremely sensitive to the heat of the sun, they need the protection of lath or brush screens. Like other conifers, the different species can be propagated by side-grafting on other species of the genus. Grafted plants, however, are less valuable than seedlings and propagation in this way is slow and expensive, as the work must be performed in glass houses. The leading or other upright-growing shoot should be chosen for the graft, as trees obtained by the use of lateral branches for grafts do not often grow into erect or shapely trees. The species most commonly used for stocks are A. Picea and A. balgamea.}}
===Pests and diseases===
===Pests and diseases===
==Species==
==Species==
[[Image:Abgragra-top.jpg|thumb|right|''Abies grandis'' foliage]]
[[Image:Abies cone & bits.jpg|right|thumb|Intact and disintegrated Bulgarian Fir cones]]
[[Image:Abies_Orjen_foliage.jpg|thumb|right|''Abies alba'' foliage from Dinaric calcareous fir forests on Mt. Orjen]]
* '''Section ''Balsamea''''' (Taiga|boreal Asia and North America, and high mountains further south)
* '''Section ''Balsamea''''' (Taiga|boreal Asia and North America, and high mountains further south)
**''[[Fraser Fir|Abies fraseri]]'' - Fraser Fir, Southern Fir, Southern Balsam Fir. [[Sunset zones]] 36, 37. Native to higher, cooler elevations of the Appalachian Mountains. Attractive pyramidal tree resembling ''A. balsamea'' in looks and in fragrance. Popular choice of Christmas tree to grow in areas with not very hot summers.
**''[[Fraser Fir|Abies fraseri]]'' - Fraser Fir, Southern Fir, Southern Balsam Fir. [[Sunset zones]] 36, 37. Native to higher, cooler elevations of the Appalachian Mountains. Attractive pyramidal tree resembling ''A. balsamea'' in looks and in fragrance. Popular choice of Christmas tree to grow in areas with not very hot summers.
