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Abies fraseri
Also called Fraser's Fir, She Balsam, Fraser Balsam Fir, Balsam Fir, Eastern Fir, Southern Balsam, Southern Fir
Fraser fir is an endangered evergreen conifer native only to the high Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern US, prized as a Christmas tree. It grows best in cool, moist, cloudy mountain conditions and is usually grown in gardens as a small or medium tree rather than a houseplant.
Abies fraseri, commonly known as Fraser's fir, or Fraser fir, is an endangered species of fir in the order Pinales native to the Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States. It is endemic to the Appalachian Mountains, where it grows in 48 populations on seven montane regions in the range. The tree grows between 10 and 15 m (30 and 50ft), sometimes even up to 25 m (80ft). Fraser fir trees have dark green needle-like leaves that spiral on their twigs and produce cylindrical cones that disintegrate when mature. The tree grows in areas that experience a cool and moist climate as well as frequent cloud coverage. There are many ecological factors that pose a threat to the species including the balsam woolly adelgid, a pest that eliminated over 80 percent of mature trees, as well as climate change. The tree is also cultivated for commercial use and is widely used as Christmas trees.
Although not important as a source of timber, the combination of dense natural pyramidal form, strong limbs, soft long-retained needles, dark blue-green color, pleasant scent and excellent shipping characteristics, has led to Fraser's fir being widely used as a Christmas tree. Fraser's fir has been used more times as the White House Christmas tree than any other tree.
The Christmas decoration trade is a multimillion-dollar business in the southern Appalachians. North Carolina produces the majority of Fraser's fir Christmas trees. It requires from seven to ten years in the field to produce a 6–7-foot-tall (1.8–2.1-meter) tree. In 2005, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation making the Fraser's fir the official Christmas tree of North Carolina.
Silver Fir · Pacific Silver Fir · Balsam Fir · White Fir · Nikko Fir · Korean Fir · Caucasian Fir · Algerian Fir · Spanish Fir · Noble Fir · Oyamel Fir · Siberian Fir
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Fraser fir by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
