Abies lasiocarpa
A high-elevation evergreen conifer with a narrow crown and short, stiff branches bearing deep purple cones, native to subalpine and alpine slopes in western North America, with two subspecies occurring in Washington.
Common Names
Subalpine Fir, Alpine Fir, Rocky Mountain Fir, Western Balsam Fir, Pino Real Blanco de las Sierras, Mountain Balsam Fir, White Balsam Fir, Balsam Fir, White Fir, Corkbark Fir
Summary
Subalpine Fir is a western North American evergreen conifer native to cool, high-elevation subalpine forests from Alaska to New Mexico, often forming a tall, slender, narrow-cone crown with short, stiff branches; needles are blue-green with two blue-white stomatal bands below, and seed cones are erect and purple when young, maturing brown, with the tree being shade-tolerant and often regenerating beneath closed canopies.
In cultivation it prefers cool, moist, well-drained soils with slightly acidic pH and grows in sun to partial shade; hardy in USDA zones 4–7; drought-tolerant once established but benefits from regular watering during dry spells; propagation is by seed, cones collected in fall, seeds requiring cold-moist stratification for germination, with seed production beginning around 20 years and peaking at 150–200 years; seeds are wind-dispersed and viable up to about 5 years; planting densities range from 300 to 1200 per acre; uses include ornamental specimens, landscape plantings, watershed protection, and wildlife habitat; not suited for indoor cultivation due to size; pests include balsam woolly adelgid and various needle diseases.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
60-100 ft
Spread
10-30 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 5-6
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
No single ideal soil; adaptable to different soil types, generally well-drained with a pH range of 4.0–6.5.
Soil Drainage
Moist but well-drained
Soil pH
4.5–5.9, Slightly acidic to neutral
Bloom Color
Purple
Bloom Time
Summer
Foliage Color
Blue-green
Fall Foliage Color
No fall color; evergreen
Leaf Lifecycle
Evergreen needle
Growth Rate
Very slow growth; 4–5 feet tall in 20–40 years
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Propagation Methods
Seeds and Layering
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts birds, attracts hummingbirds, attracts butterflies
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Hook.) Nutt.
- Publication
- N. Amer. Sylv. 3: 138. (1849)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Pinophyta
- Class
- Pinopsida
- Subclass
- Pinidae
- Order
- Pinales
- Family
- Pinaceae
- Genus
- Abies
Inferior Taxa
Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica Abies lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa
Synonyms
Picea bifolia Abies grandis var. lasiocarpa Picea lasiocarpa Abies lasiocarpa subsp. bifolia Abies amabilis Abies balsamea f. compacta Abies bifolia Abies lasiocarpa var. fallax Abies subalpina Abies subalpina var. fallax Abies concolor var. lasiocarpa Abies lasiocarpa f. compacta Abies lasiocarpa var. conica Abies lasiocarpa f. conica Abies lasiocarpa var. bifolia Pinus lasiocarpa Abies balsamea subsp. lasiocarpa Pinus lasiocarpa f. compacta