Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

General Information Common Name  Atlas Cedar Scientific Name  Cedrus atlantica Sun Tolerance  Full Sun Height  30 - 35  m (100 - 118 ft) Spread  15 -20 m (50 - 66 ft) Growth Rate  Fast Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green, Flower Color  Yellow Type  Tree Native  Africa, Asia, Europe.

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Coniferophyta – Conifers Class  Pinopsida Subclass  Order  Pinales Family  Pinaceae – Pine family Genus  Cedrus Carr. –  Cedar Species  C. atlantica

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Cedrus atlantica commonly known as Atlas Cedar. The tree’s native habitat is on the mountains of Algeria and Morocco. It is a large growing evergreen tree that grows 30-35 m (100 – 118 ft) in height with a trunk diameter of 1.5–2 m (5-7 ft). Sometime it grows up to 40 m (131 ft) in height.

The Atlas Cedar differs principally from other Cedars in having an erect leader and ascending ends to the branches. Furthermore, it has a blue-green foliage, and may even be grey; and the cones are usually more numerous and rather smaller and less barrel-shaped.

The trees are conical when young, later developing massive trunks and large, ascending branches. The branch-lets are of two kinds; the long terminal growth shoots with needles scattered around them (‘juvenile’ foliage), and short spur growths with needles in rosettes. The mature needles are about an inch in length, and slightly bluish-green.

Both sexes of flowers are usually found on different branches of the same tree. The male catkins, in regimented rows, are long and erect, dull greyish-green with a purplish bloom, liberating bright yellow pollen in autumn. The females are small, greenish, erect cone-lets, and the resultant erect resinous barrel-shaped green cones do not reach full size until after two years, when they turn brown and ripen within a few months. They then gradually break up, releasing their winged seeds, the central spike of the cne alone remaining.

At first the bark is smooth and grey, but with age becomes brown, furrowed and scaly. The wood has a narrow whitish sapwood and a mid-brown heartwood, and is fairly hard, fragrant, naturally durable, and will work to a fine finish. It is scarce, hence little used commercially.

The variety glauca, a blue form in cultivating, has very pleasing blue or glaucous needles. In its most richly colored form it is one of the most effective of all conifers, but the glaucous tint is an unstable character. It is common in cultivation as an ornamental tree in temperate climates. In garden settings, often the glaucous forms are planted as ornamental trees. There are also fastigiated, pendulous, and golden-leaf forms in cultivation. The Atlas cedar is useful in cultivation because it is more tolerant of dry and hot conditions than most conifers. It was introduced to Britain in 1845 by Lord Somers of Eastnor in Herefordshire. An Atlas cedar is planted at the White House South Lawn in Washington, DC. President Carter ordered a tree house built within the cedar for his daughter Amy.

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Leaves of Atlas Cedar

Atlas Cedar Leaves

Male Cones of Atlas Cedar

 Atlas Cedar Male Cones

Male Cones of Cedrus atlantica 

Cedrus atlantica Male Cones

Female Cone of Atlas Cedar

Atlas Cedar Female Cones

Female Cone of Cedrus atlantica

Cedrus atlantica Female Cones

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar Female Cones

Bark of Atlas Cedar

Atlas Cedar Young Plant

Cedrus atlantica Young Plants

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Cedrus atlantica - Atlas Cedar

Abies procera - Noble Fir - Red Fir

General Information Common Name  Noble Fir, Red Fir Scientific Name  Abies procera Sun Tolerance  Full Sun Height  40 - 70 m (135 - 230 ft) Spread  10 -15 m (33 - 50 ft) Growth Rate  Fast Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green, Flower Color  Red Type  Tree Native  USA, Asia, Europe.

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Coniferophyta – Conifers Class  Pinopsida Subclass  Order  Pinales Family  Pinaceae – Pine family Genus  Abies Mill. –  Fir Species  A. procera

Abies procera -  Noble Fir – Red Fir

 Abies procera commonly known as Noble Fir also known as Red Fir. It also a Christmas Tree. It is native to Europe, North America. It is a large evergreen tree that grow 40–70 m (135–230 ft.) in height and 2 m (6.5 ft.) trunk diameter, sometime grow up to 90 m (295 ft.) tall and 2.7 m (8.9 ft.) diameter, with a narrow conic crown. It is a strikingly handsome conifer and is particularly distinguished by its glistening silvery green foliage and pale bluish-grey bark. It was introduced from Washington or Oregon in 1830.

The new shoots are rusty brown. The buds are small, round and resin-tipped. The needles are dense and upswept, massed on the top of the twig. They are a shining bluish-green on both surfaces, the upper being grooved. When pulled away they leave a neat round scar, not a peg.

Both sexes of flowers are found on the same tree. The handsome male catkins are deep purple, and borne in groups on the underside of the lower shoots. The female flowers, reddish or yellowish-green with long bracts, are erect and are to be found near the top of the tree and are thus seldom seen (though some specimens flower when only 15-20 feet tall). These develop into decorative large erect cylindrical pale green cones, 6 inches or more long and 3 inches or wider, developing dark grey scales partly covered by long green, reflexed, feathery bracts. They become brown and ripen and disintegrate in September leaving the persistent central spike on the tree.

The bark is thin at first and pale grey, with some resin blisters. Later the bark is pale bluish or silver-grey, coming broken by narrow grooves into irregular plates covered with scales that flake off to show a red inner bark. The stem bears whorls of branches, and often shows a marked taper, terminating in a stout leader that usually has to help to bear the weight of many heavy cones on its short side ranches. The wood is brownish-white, somewhat similar to Spruce, and is used for joinery, packing cases, paper pulp, and general purposes.

The tree is doing well silviculturally, on a small scale, in damp, cold mountain situations in USA and Europe, where it has proved hardy and stands exposure well. It is a useful and attractive under-plant. As other fir this is also plant as ornamental tree in home garden or park. 

Abies procera as Christmas Tree

Abies procera -  Noble Fir – Red Fir

Leaves of  Noble Fir 

Abies procera Leaves

Male Catkin of  Noble Fir 

Male Catkins of Abies procera 

Female Catkins of  Noble Fir 

Female Catkins of Abies procera 

 Red Fir Female Flower

Seeds of  Noble Fir 

Bark of  Noble Fir

Long Trunk of  Noble Fir

Abies procera -  Noble Fir – Red Fir As ornamental plant

Abies procera -  Noble Fir – Red Fir in garden

Abies procera -  Noble Fir – Red Fir in forest

The Forest of Abies procera

Videos of Abies procera - Noble Fir

Noble Fir as ornamental Tree

Noble Fir as Christmas Tree

Red Fir

Abies procera

Abies Grandis – Grand Fir

General Information Common Name  Grand Fir Scientific Name  Abies Grandis Sun Tolerance  Full Sun Height  40 - 70 m (135 - 230 ft) Spread  10 -15 m (33 - 50 ft) Growth Rate  Fast Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green, Flower Color  Yellow Type  Tree Native  USA, Asia, Europe.

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Coniferophyta – Conifers Class  Pinopsida Subclass  Order  Pinales Family  Pinaceae – Pine family Genus  Abies Mill. –  Fir Species  A. Grandis

Abies Grandis – Grand Fir

Abies Grandis commonly known as Grand Fir also called by its botanical name of ‘grandis,’ is a tall rapidly-growing silver fir, introduced from the Pacific coast of North America. It has many more name like as Lowland White Fir, Great Silver Fir, Western White Fir, Vancouver Fir, or Oregon Fir.

It is an evergreen long tree. The tree generally grows to 40–70 m (135 – 230 ft) in height. The new shoots are smooth and olive-green. The buds are small, blunt, and resin-coated. The needles are long (for firs), u to 2 inches, twisted at their base so as to spread in two ranks in one plane; the upper rank has the shorter needles. They have notched apices, and are glossy green above, with two prominent glaucous bands below. The new pale green needles, which appear in June, fringe the edges of all the branches, giving the tree its best appearance. When crushed, the scent is pleasantly aromatic. When pulled away from the stem they leave a neat round scar, not a peg.

Both sexes of flowers are found on the same tree. The small yellow male flowers are in clusters on the underside of the branches. The females are erect, short, scaly, and yellow-green, borne height up on the tree and are thus seldom seen. On fertilization they develop into erect cylindrical cones up to 4 inches long and an inch or more broad, and slightly indented at the apex. They ripen to a yellowish-green, and disintegrate in September leaving the persistent central spike on the tree.

The bark is smooth, with some blisters containing clear, aromatic resin. With age the bark becomes dark-brown, fissured and scaly. The branches are in whorls, often wide apart. The wood is white or pale cream in color, with no marked heart-wood. It is used for box making, paper-pulp, and for general purposes where strength and natural durability are not required. Sometimes a drought crack’ runs in spiral fashion up the stem. The bark has historical medicinal properties, and it is popular in the United States as a Christmas tree.

Foresters prize ‘grandis’ as ‘a fast and heavy volume-producer of moderately strong timber’ and as a useful under-plant. It can reach 40 m (130 ft) in fifty years.

The European Silver Fir, Abies alba Mill., usually fails in some countries of Europe because of attacks by tiny needle-sucking aphids, species of Adelges. Consequently it is not only planted for timber but also little tree for ornament. 

Abies Grandis – Grand Fir

Leaves of Grand Fir

Leaves of Abies Grandis

Abies Grandis Leaves

Grand Fir Leaves

Abies Grandis – Grand Fir

Male Catkins of Grand Fir

Female Cones of Grand Fir

Bark of Grand Fir

Logs of Grand Fir

Long Trunk of Grand Fir

Long Trunk of Abies Grandis 

Grand Fir as Christmas Tree

Abies Grandis Plantation as Christmas Trees

 Grand Fir for Christmas Trees

Abies Grandis for Christmas Trees

Abies Grandis – Grand Fir

Video of Grand Fir: 

Christmas Tree