White fir
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The white fir tree is native to the mountains in western North America. They can grow up to 25-60 meters tall and have a trunk diameter of up to 2 meters. They are widely accepted for use as ornamental trees because of their great splendor. These trees are known for their height and their size.[1]
Anatomy
The white fir has a blue-green tint to it with white undersides on its leaves. The white fir also has cones that point up towards the sky. The white fir can handle heat, pollution, and drought the best out of any other fir.[2] The leaves are shaped like flat needles that range anywhere from 2.5 to 6 cm long and 2 mm wide and 1 mm thick. The leaves are all in a circular pattern around the branch. [3]
Reproduction
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The white fir is monoecious, which means that the white fir contains both male and female reproductive organs on it. The female cones are borne facing up on 1-year-old branches. Generally the females are found in the highest crown but occasionally male and female cones are found on the same branch. The female's cone is 7.5 to 13 cm long. They change from a greenish or purplish to a brown when the cones are mature. The male is a reddish tint, and is usually 1.6 cm. It usually is grouped together on the bottom of 1-year-old twigs around the midcrown
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Ecology
The white fir grows in a vast variety of soils. These soils include volcanic and igneous rocks of nearly all compositions, large areas of granites, and some metamorphics. The sedimentary materials include limestone, sandstone, and shale.
White fir depends more on the availability of moisture and temperature than to the soil conditions, nutrient availability, and pH values. It may use water that is accessed from shattered or porous bedrock below the soil.[5]
Uses
Native Americans used white fir to make common items, medicine, and building material. They used the resin from the tree to heal cuts, sores, and boils. The needles were used to relieve pain caused by rheumatism and lung problems. Bark infusions were used to relieve tuberculosis. It was also used to dye buckskin a tan color. Branches were also used to line storage containers and to create pipe stems.
Back in the days when the indians still roamed freely throughout North America, people used white firs for Christmas trees. It is also used to compliment landscapes all over the world. [6]
White fir underside
Whtie fir topside
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Related References
