About Abies vejarii Martínez
This species is a medium-sized evergreen tree that reaches 35 to 40 meters in height. Its leaves are needle-like, moderately flattened, measuring 1 to 2.5 cm long, 1.3 to 2 mm wide, and 1 mm thick. The leaves are grey-green with scattered stomata on their upper surface, and have two greenish-white bands of stomata on their lower surface. The tip of each leaf is acutely pointed. Its cones are glaucous purple when young, maturing to grey-brown, and measure 6 to 15 cm long by 4 to 6 cm broad. Each cone holds around 150 to 200 scales. Every scale has a bract with an apical 3 to 8 mm section that is exserted on the closed cone, and each scale bears two winged seeds. Cones disintegrate when mature to release their seeds. Abies vejarii grows on steep mountain slopes near summits and in cool ravines of the Sierra Madre Oriental, at elevations ranging from 1,900 to 3,300 meters. The climate in its habitat is cool, with wet winters and drier summers. It typically grows on moist soils that are low in humus content. It is most often found growing in association with pines and Mexican Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. lindleyana), alongside oaks, Cupressus arizonica, and Picea engelmannii subsp. mexicana.
