Veitch's Fir

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Abies veitchii4.JPG


Plant Characteristics
Habit   tree

Height: 60 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 60.
Width: 20 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 20.
Lifespan: perennial
Origin: Japan
Cultivation
Exposure: sun
Water: moist
Features: evergreen, foliage
USDA Zones: 6 to 9
Scientific Names

Pinaceae >

Abies >

veitchii >


Veitch's Fir (Abies veitchii), also known as Veitch's Silver Fir, is a fir native to Japan. It lives in moist soils in cool wet mountain forests at elevations of 1500–2800 m. It is very shade-tolerant when young, but is not long-lived.

It is a coniferous evergreen tree growing at a fast rate to 25–30 m tall. The crown is narrowly conical with horizontal branches and pubescent shoots. The shoots are pubescent, with short brown hairs. The leaves are needle-like and flattened, 1–3 cm long and 2 mm broad. They are glossy dark green above with two conspicuous bluish white stomatal bands underneath, and the tips are notched. The foliage is dense and points forward along the shoot, with the inner leaves being shorter and more erect than the lower leaves. The cone is purple-brown, cylindrical, 4–7 cm long and tapers slightly. The cones are upright and have slightly exserted and reflexed yellow-green bracts. The bark is smooth and light grey, and has resin blisters characteristic of many firs.

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

Cultivation

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Propagation

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Pests and diseases

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Varieties

There are two varieties:

  • Abies veitchii var. veitchii. Endemic on Honshū; secure. Shoots densely pubescent. Leaves 1.5–3 cm long; stomatal bands bluish white.
  • Abies veitchii var. sikokiana (Nakai) Kusaka. Endemic on Shikoku; NT. Shoots thinly pubescent. Leaves 1–2 cm long; stomatal bands white. In many respects intermediate between var. veitchii and Abies koreana, it has been treated as a distinct species Abies sikokiana by some authors.

Gallery

References

  • American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432

External links