Summary ⁵

Firs (Abies) are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range. Firs are most closely related to the genus Cedrus (cedar). Douglas firs are not true firs, being of the genus Pseudotsuga.

Identifying Factors ⁶

Firs are evergreens that are not strongly dimorphic. Their female cones are upright, soft, and fragile; they disintegrate upon reaching maturity. The branches are smooth with little to no pitting. Their needles tend to be blunt and soft, hence the layman's term "fir."

Sources and Credits

1. (c) elias ziade, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by elias ziade
2. (c) Hermann Falkner, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5303/5650303291_c29865c664.jpg
3. (c) Gerriet Olivier, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_alba_3.jpg
4. (c) MPF at the English language Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_cone_%26_bits.jpg
5. Adapted by junipursa from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abies
6. (c) junipursa, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Atlas of Living Australia
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• VASCAN by Canadensys

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