About

Firs are coniferous trees belonging to the genus Abies (Latin: [ˈabieːs]) in the family Pinaceae. They are tall trees that can be distinguished from other members of the pine family by the way in which their needle-like leaves are attached singly to the branches with a circular base, and by their cones, which, like those of cedars, stand upright on the branches like candles and disintegrate at maturity.

There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely related to Keteleeria, a small genus confined to eastern Asia.

Where it grows

Firs are distributed around the Northern Hemisphere. The genus is native across much of North America, Eurasia, Turkey, Syria, Morocco, and Algeria. It is introduced in Scandinavia and the British Isles. Abies sibirica grows as far north as 67°N in Siberia, while A. guatemalensis grows as far south as 15°N in Central America. Most firs favour cold climates, whether at altitude in mountain ranges or at high latitude. Many species have relict distributions, occupying small areas of what were once much larger distributions. Only a few species are widespread.

Uses

Unlike the Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga), firs produce softwood, often used as pulp or for the manufacture of plywood and rough timber. It is commonly used in Canadian Lumber Standard graded wood, used for internal stud walls and similar applications. Abies spectabilis is used in Ayurveda as an antitussive (cough suppressant) drug. Firs produce a variety of terpenoids that could have practical uses. Terpenoid composition of the bark varies by genetics, geography, age and size of the tree.

Other Abies plants

Silver Fir · Pacific Silver Fir · Balsam Fir · White Fir · Fraser fir · Nikko Fir · Korean Fir · Caucasian Fir · Algerian Fir · Spanish Fir · Noble Fir · Oyamel Fir