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Abies sachalinensis
Sakhalin fir is a large, cold-hardy conifer native to the Russian Far East and northern Japan, grown mainly as a forest and garden tree. It needs cool summers, moist soil and some shade, and is best suited to temperate climates.
Abies sachalinensis, the Sakhalin fir, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found in Sakhalin island and southern Kurils (Russia), and also in northern Hokkaido (Japan).
The first discovery by a European was by Carl Friedrich Schmidt (1832-1908), the Baltic German botanist, on the Russian island of Sakhalin in 1866, but he did not introduce it to Europe. The plant was re-discovered by the English plant-collector, Charles Maries in 1877 near Aomori on the main Japanese island of Honshū, who initially thought it to be a variety of Abies veitchii. Abies nephrolepis (khingan fir) is known to be the closest relative, which exists on the mainland just west of the range of Sakhalin fir.
Been seen at sea level up to 1,650m in different areas, but on Sakhalin Island it sits at elevations of 800-1,100m in pure stands or in mixed forests with Picea jezoensis(Yezo spruce) and Picea glehnii around the treeline. It is also found in lower elevations with broadleaf trees including Betula ermanii (Erman's birch), Castanea crenulata, Kalopanax septemlobus(castor aralia), and Magnolia hypoleuca.
Mainly logged for the production of wood pulp for the paper industry. It is a used for cultivations in gardens and arboreta in Russia, Northern Europe, England, and US. Abies sachalinesis is used for dyeing/tanning, essential oils, fibers, timber, and medicine. It is also made into products such as boxes, crates, pallets, posts, stakes, fences, wall paneling, and for use in carpentry (exterior/interior). It is an important plantation species in Hokkaido, while the other Abies species are not used in plantations.
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 sachalinensis 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.
