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Abies guatemalensis
Also called Pinabete
Guatemalan fir is a conical evergreen conifer from the mountain cloud forests of Central America, now threatened by logging and farming. It is a forest tree, not a common garden plant, and it is not frost-hardy.
Abies guatemalensis, the Guatemalan fir or pinabete, is an evergreen tree native to Central America and is the southernmost member of the genus Abies being spread to the south lower than 14° N. Its range is from southern (less from western and central) Mexico in the north to Honduras and El Salvador in the south. It is a warm-loving and moisture-loving tree of the tropical mountain coniferous and mixed cloud forests of these countries. The Guatemalan fir is an almost completely non-frost-resistant tree. Due to logging and loss of habitat, the tree is considered threatened and is protected in CITES Appendix I.
A. guatemalensis is listed as endangered by the IUCN due to timber exploitation and loss of habitat. It characteristically grows in deep fertile soils, which are desirable for agriculture by local inhabitants (especially for coffea plantations). It was reported as being a common tree up until the 1940s. Large populations may still remain in Honduras, but data is currently deficient. Some evidence suggests that the areas of each remaining stands in Guatemala (except for the forest of Los Altos de San Miguel Totonicapán) are usually no larger than 3 square kilometers. Furthermore, the cone crops are irregular and germination is typically poor. Among the remaining populations, the forest of Los Altos de San Miguel Totonicapán in Guatemala is said to harbour the largest and best-conserved stands by area of 52,000-acres (26,060 hectares), though these are also threatened by illegal logging.
Silver Fir · Pacific Silver Fir · Balsam Fir · Baishan Fir · Bristlecone Fir · Greek Fir · Shensi Fir · Cilician Fir · White Fir · Fansipan Fir · Delavay's Fir · Sikkim Fir
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Abies guatemalensis 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.
