Abies concolor var. lowiana

Scientific name: Abies concolor var. lowiana  (Gordon) Lemmon  1895

Synonyms: Abies lowiana (Gordon) A.Murray bis, Picea lowiana Gordon, Picea lowiana Gordon, Picea lowii Gordon

Common names:Sierra white fir, California white fir, Low's white fir

Description

Tree to 20-30 m tall, with trunk to 1(-2) m in diameter. Bark light gray, breaking up into dark gray ridges and reddish furrows with age. Branchlets hairless or with yellowish hairs at first, not grooved. Buds 3-5 mm long, resinous. Needles mostly 4 cm or less long, without wax and with about seven rows of stomates above, the tip slightly notched. Pollen cones (6-)12-20 mm long, dark red. Seed cones roughly cylindrical, 6-13 cm long, 3-4.5 cm across, green, grayish green, or dull purple when young, maturing light brown. Seeds body 6-12 mm long, the wing up to 1.5 times as long.

Western part of the range of the species, from Oregon to Baja California; 600-3,000 m.

Conservation Status

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern

References

• Farjon, A. (2010). A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.
• Eckenwalder, J.E. (2009) Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference. Timber Press, Portland.
• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Cambridge, UK /Gland, Switzerland

Copyright © Aljos Farjon, James E. Eckenwalder, IUCN, Conifers Garden. All rights reserved.