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Balsam Fir

Abies balsamea

Traditional Indigenous Names 4

Cree: Napakátik
Ojibwe: Zhingob(iig)
Ojibwe-Cree: Napakaantak
Michif: Lyayr

Summary from Wikipedia 5

Abies balsamea or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central British Columbia) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to West Virginia).

Easy identifiers 4

Balsam Fir look like a very stereotypical Christmas tree, they appear tall and narrow and come to a sharp point at the top. Their cones which are barrel shaped grow upright and both the cones and the stem of the tree often ooze resin. Balsam Fir branches are typically symmetrical and form a dense crown.

Form 4

A moderately dense evergreen tree with a slender symmetrical spire-shaped crown.

Bark 4

Grey, smooth-to-roughened by raised resin blisters on young trees becoming cracked and scaly on older trees.

Twigs 4

Opposite, grey, slender, smooth, more or less hairy. Buds about 5 millimetres (1/8 inch long) with greenish-brown scales covered with resin.

Leaves 4

Single, flat, twisted at base, needle-like, soft, rounded or notched at tip, 15 - 25 millimetres (3/4 - 1 inch) long, usually spreading into one plane; whitened below along two lines.

Flowers 4

April - May, solitary from base of previous year's leaves, red or purple, oval.

Fruit 4

An erect oblong dark purple cone with thin scales attached to upper side of branches, 4 - 10 centimetres (2 -3 1/2 inches) long; disintegrating at maturity leaving cone axis on branch.

Occurrence 4

Fairly common throughout forested region, except extreme north, in moist habitats; usually mixed with other tree species.

Fun Facts 4

Balsam Fir are very popular Christmas trees because of their scent, shape, and also because their needles tend to stay on the tree for longer after they have been cut down. Balsam fir grow very symmetrically, their branches grow in a pattern of spirals around the trunk of the tree year after year. Their unique smell can be used in aromatherapy to help sooth colds, flu, and muscle aches.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Manitoba Forestry, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Manitoba Forestry
  2. (c) Nicholas A. Tonelli, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicholas_t/8413101824/
  3. (c) Cephas, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_balsamea_cones_Niapiskau_02.jpg
  4. (c) Manitoba Forestry, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
  5. Adapted by Manitoba Forestry from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abies_balsamea

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