Abies fraserii – Frasers Fir

Habitat

• Native to North America
• Not really a timber tree
• Mainly used for the Christmas tree market

Habit and Form

• Not really a timber tree
• Mainly used for the Christmas tree market

Summer Foliage

• Dark-green
• Soft foliage

Autumn Foliage

• Dark-green
• Soft foliage

Flowers

• No ornamental value

Cones

• Purple cones in spring mature to brown, releasing seed in Autumn
• 2.5 in. to 2.5 in

Bark

• No ornamental value

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Abies grandis – Grand Silver Fir

Habitat

• Native to North America and parts of Europe

Habit and Form

• One of the tallest true firs, with narrow, pointed crown of stout, curved and slightly drooping branches
• Valleys and mountain slopes in cool, humid climate; scattered in dense mixed coniferous forests or alone in open forests

Summer Foliage

• Evergreen
• Spreading almost at right angles in two rows; crowded and curved upward on upper twigs
• 3-5cm long, lower row longer than the upper.
• Flat, flexible; shiny dark green above, silvery white beneath.
• When rubbed between the fingers, give off a pleasant fruity orange scent

Autumn Foliage

• As above

Flowers

• No ornamental value

Cones

• 5-10cm long; cylindrical, upright on topmost twigs, green or brown; cone-scales hairy

Bark

• brown; smooth with resin blisters, becoming deeply furrowed into narrow scaly ridges

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Abies nobilis – Noble Fir

Habitat

• Native to North America and parts of Europe

Habit and Form

• The largest North American true fir, with conical crown, rounded at tip, and with short, nearly horizontal branches
• Moist soils in high mountains with short, cool growing season and deep snow in winter

Summer Foliage

• Evergreen
• Spreading densely in two rows above and to the sides of the shoot, leaving it exposed only underneath
• 2.5-3.5 cm long, 1.5 mm wide. Flat, grooved above, often notched, round at the apex
• Blue-green with whitish lines; with stomata both above and below; on upper twigs, shorter, crowded, curved upward, four-sided

Autumn Foliage

• As above

Flowers

• Males globular, crowded along undersides of shoots over most of crown of older trees, about 6mm across, bright crimson before shedding pollen.
• Females cylindric, 4-5cm yellow-green

Cones

• 15-25 cm long; cylindrical, upright on topmost twigs, green becoming purplish-brown
• Cone-scales with fine hairs and mostly covered by large, green papery bracts, finely toothed, long-pointed, and bent downward
• Paired, long-winged seeds. These cones are the largest among true firs and, standing stiffly erect, the size and rich colour render them very striking

Bark

• Grey-brown and smooth, becoming brown to red-brown; slightly thickened, and furrowed into irregular, long, scaly plates

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Abies nordmanniana – Norman Fir

Habitat

• Native to North America and parts of Europe

Habit and Form

• A narrow pyramidal-shaped evergreen conifer
• Densely branched from ground up; regularly arranged
• 61 meters tall
• Prefers moist, well-drained, acidic soil and full sun
• Used to grow Christmas Trees

Summer Foliage

• Dense, directed forward; 20-30 mm X 2-2.5 mm; apex rounded and notched; lustrous dark green on upper surface

Autumn Foliage

• As above

Flowers

• No ornamental value

Cones

• Red-brown; 15 cm X 5 cm; cylindrical

Bark

• Grey – brown, smooth with resin blisters until very old

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Chamaecyparis lawsoniana – Lawson Cypress

Habitat

• Native to North America and parts of Europe

Habit and Form

• Tall monoecious trees of pyramidal habit
• Leading shoots nodding, branches spreading, the branchlets flattened

Summer Foliage

• Leaves opposite in 4 ranks. Juvenile leaves slender.
• Mature leaves opposite, scale-like, lateral and facial pairs of differing shape

Autumn Foliage

• As above

Flowers

• Flowers on stems oblong, yellow or (usually) red

Cones

• Ovulate cones maturing and opening in 6-8 months from pollination, shed soon after seed release, globose to ovoid-globose, green or violet, often glaucous, maturing brown

Bark

• bark smooth, peeling off in strips or scales or fissured into ridges

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Juniperus comunis – Wild Juniper

Habitat

• Native to most parts of the World with numerous mentions in the Bible

Habit and Form

• Can exist as shrubs or trees
• Shrubs- 4m
• Trees- 10m 

Summer Foliage

• Green but sometimes appear silver.  Sword-like.  About 1/3 to 1/2 inch long, arrange in 3

Autumn Foliage

• As above