About Abies bracteata (D.Don) A.Poit.
Abies bracteata (D.Don) A.Poit. is a fir tree that typically reaches 20 to 35 meters (66 to 115 feet) in height, with a slender, spire-like growth form. Its thin bark is reddish-brown, marked by wrinkles, lines and resin blisters, also called vesicles. Its branches grow in a downswept arrangement. The species has needle-like leaves that are arranged spirally on shoots, but twisted at their base to spread into two moderately forward-pointing ranks on either side of the shoot, leaving a V-shaped gap above the shoot. The leaves are hard and stiff, with a sharply pointed tip, measuring 3.5–6 cm long and 2.5–3 mm broad, and have two bright white stomatal bands on their underside. Flowers bloom in early May. The species produces ovoid cones that are 6–9 cm long, or up to 12 cm long when including their bracts. These cones mature and release winged seeds between late August and October. The cones of this species differ from those of other firs because their bracts end in very long, spreading, yellow-brown bristles that measure 3–5 cm long. The male pollen cones of Abies bracteata are 2 cm long, and shed pollen in spring. The tallest and widest known living individual of this species was most recently measured at 38.7 metres (127 ft) in height, with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 121 centimetres (48 in). The tallest and widest specimen ever recorded reached 55.5 metres (182 ft) in height, with a DBH of 131 centimetres (52 in). This tree is a popular ornamental species, and is grown in many arboreta. It naturally grows in an equable Mediterranean climate that receives considerable winter precipitation and very dry summers. It has not been successfully introduced to eastern United States, but many groves of the species thrive in cultivation in Europe. Resin harvested from the trunk of this tree was used as incense by early Spanish missions.
