Fir trees, Abies: Dutch treeguide at www.bomengids.nl, European trees

Firs, (Abies)

What kind of species are you dealing with.

All species photographed.

The Abies fir-trees form a family (genus to be exact) with many species from north-Amerika, but also from Europe. They are mostly found in gardens and parks but sometimes in forests/woods. This seems to be true everyhere Europe I have been. The genus contains really large trees, but in gardens one can also meet some small varieties. You recognise them easily by the soft flat and mostly non-stinging needles. If you pull a needle of the branch the bark does not tear apart, and the end of the needle looks like a small suction-cup.
On the picture left an Abies fir-tree needle, right a spruce (picea). The spruce needle has a bit of bark attached to it after tearing the needle of a twig, the fir-tree needle does not, and the tear-spot is round. Furthermore the fir-tree needles smell like an orange if you rub them together. So does the resin, often under the bark in "blisters". Cones stand up on the branches and fall apart while being on the tree. Under the tree you can find loose cone-scales. The core of the cone stays on braches looking like a candle.
The fir-trees are at the end of the softwood key because the difference between many species is rather impossible: it is very difficult to tell them apart. Frequently you must see the cones to be certain of the species, and these can sit 20 meters high in the tree, or are not present at all.
Nevertheless not all hope is lost. There are a couple well distinguishable species. For the rest I can do little more than show the photographs and describe characteristics.

1. Tree has long flat needles (3 up to approximately 6 cm, frequently 5 cm) that stand apart to the left and the right, like hair with a parting in the middle. Upper part of the needle green, lower part with white lines. Sometimes in the forsest/woods (originates form West USA). Bark strongly smells like an orange. Bark is pretty smooth and has strikingly large resin blisters. Bl;isters hold resin ----> Grand_fir
2. Also long flat needles that are devided to the right and left like hair. Not devided as neatly as Grand fir. Needles 3 up to 5 cm, average 4 cm. Difference with Grand fir is the whitish color of the needles on the upper side. Do not know how the bark is. Not as smooth as the grandfir. Rare ----> White_fir Abies_concolor. Originates from the USA
3. Strikingly beautiful garden tree seen in large gardens and parks. From USA. Blue-white needles stand curved upwards on the branch like a hairbrush. Needles stand close to eachother and are almost not green at all. Generally a cm or 2. Bark also with resin blisters. ----> Noble_fir
4. Small fir-tree in gardens (be carefull because there are more species that are small). If you see a small tree it is usually this species. Before reaching 2 metres it already has cones up to 6 cm or so: these are purple and later brown. Cones have little slips that stick out. The slips end in a needle-like point. Needles up to 5 cm, a bit succulent, stand circlewise around the twig and not far apart. Branch looks like a thick-haired tail of an animal (with some fantasy of course..). Needles do not prick and thus are blunt. Underside of the needles very whitish white. Buds whitish and plump and not conspicuous. Originally from South Korea ----> Korean_fir Abies_koreana
5. Rarely encountered species. With very sharp and small (1cm) needles with white on the upper side (but not always in some varieties). Needles like Korean fir around the branch. Originally form Spain ---> Spanish_fir
6. After this point it gets really hard to tell species apart.
Needles conspicuously white on the underside. Needles longer than Korean fir (2 to 3 cm) and not as succulent. Needles on lower branches often separated in two rows. Possibly Veitch fir or Nikko fir. Both are from Japan. Veitch seems to be more popular in gardens. Differences: Veitch fir sometimes has curly needles so branches seem to have white "tails". Small trees can have cones. Nikko fir needles are less white underneath. Needles are more in four rows on the upper side of the braches. Needles on Veitch are more evenly spread out.
I would have trouble telling them apart.
Nikko fir

Veitch fir Abies_veitchii
7. Big tree without needles with a very white underside. Needles not in two rows apart on the branch, not very short nor very sharp. I am afraid there are dozens of species that fit this description. I will describe two you might just find here and there and then leave you on your own.....
a. Needles on the upper side of the branch fall over each other in a non-orderly messy way. Most of the time they stick out curly as well. Needles completely hide the brach they are on. Upper side glossy-green, underside with two white stripes. Buds lightbrown without resin. Needles up to 3 cm and a bit more. Some say it is the tallest tree in Europe. Cones in the top of the tree extremely big (20 cm) so that branches bend because of their weight. ---> Nordmann fir (Caucasian fir) Abies_nordmanniana

b. Silver fir Abies_alba is a species without real conspicuous characteristics. I have seen individuals so different it seems hard to fit them in one picture. Perhaps it cross-breeds with other species. In the wild I have seen needles that sit almost completely seperated on the branch in two rows. In stores it sometimes has needles that are almost like those of the Korean fir, radially situated, but bigger. Needles 1.5 to 4 cm. Green on the upper side, below two white stripes. Branches in the light may have needles that are spead out evenly across the upper side of the branch. In the shadow needles more in four rown on the upper side of the branch. On the underside of branches needles always in two rows seperated.
Bark often a silver-like gloss with warts/diamond-shaped little wholes. Cones in the top of the tree, 10-15 cm. Original form France to Bulgary in the mountains. ----> Silver fir Abies_alba
Beyind the species above there are at least 20 species one can meet. I have accidently one species to show below.
Siberian_fir (foreign)