Abies veitchii

Veitch's fir
Branch of Veitch's fir
Conservation status
Least Concern(IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnospermae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Pinales
Family:	Pinaceae
Genus:	Abies
Species:	A. veitchii
Binomial name
Abies veitchii Lindley

Abies veitchii,also known asVeitch's firorVeitch's silver-fir,is a species offirnative to Japan from the islands ofHonshūandShikoku.It lives in moist soils in cool wet mountain forests at elevations of 1500–2800 m. It is very shade-tolerant when young, but is not long-lived. The name is derived fromJohn Gould Veitch,who saw the common species onMount Fujiin 1860 and identified it for European botanists.

Description

It is aconiferousevergreentreegrowing at a fast rate to 25–30 m tall. The crown is narrowly conical with horizontal branches and pubescent shoots. The shoots are pubescent, with short brown hairs. Theleavesare needle-like and flattened, 1–3 cm long and 2 mm broad. They are glossy dark green above with two conspicuous bluish whitestomatalbands underneath, and the tips are notched. The foliage is dense and points forward along the shoot, with the inner leaves being shorter and more erect than the lower leaves. Theconeis purple-brown, cylindrical, 4–7 cm long and tapers slightly. The cones are upright and have slightly exserted and reflexed yellow-greenbracts.The bark is smooth and light grey, and hasresinblisters characteristic of many firs.

There are twovarieties:

• Abies veitchiivar.veitchii.Endemic to Honshū; Shoots densely pubescent. Leaves 1.5–3 cm long; stomatal bands bluish white.
• Abies veitchiivar.sikokiana(Nakai) Kusaka. Endemic to Shikoku; NT. Shoots thinly pubescent. Leaves 1–2 cm long; stomatal bands white. In many respects intermediate between var.veitchiiandAbies koreana,it has been treated as a distinct speciesAbies sikokianaby some authors.

Thewoodis sturdy andelastic,and is used inconstruction,boxes,utensils,and spindles. Veitch's fir is a popularornamental treeand is occasionally grown forChristmas trees.

References and external links

• Katsuki, T., Rushforth, K. & Zhang, D. 2011.Abies veitchii.The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. Downloaded on 26 March 2015.
• Liu, T. S. (1971).A Monograph of the genus Abies.National Taiwan University.
• Coombes, J. Allen (1992).Eyewitness Handbooks: Trees.London & New York: Dorling Kindersley.
• Gymnosperm Database -Abies veitchii
• Abies veitchii- UConn Plant Database
• Abies veitchii- Plants For A Future database report
• Conifers Around the World: Abies veitchii - Veitch Fir.