One of my personal favourite trees, the White fir is a great addition to any landscape.
The white fir, abies concolor is native to the mountains of western North America. It thrives in rocky areas and can grow up to 60m tall and 2m wide. It can be a giant of the forest or a small ornamental tree. The name concolor refers to the fact that the leaves are the same colour on top and on the bottom, this is not always the case with firs, which often have a striking contrast.
Like all firs, it produces pollen cones throughout the spring and summer. Eventually these pollinate the female cones, which are usually on the top 2/3rds of the tree. Wind pollination is the main method which this tree uses for reproduction.
New growth is a brighter colour, but still a bluish-white tint. This colour gives the tree its aesthetic appeal, in my opinion. The foliage curves upright in all branches very evidently.
The new growth is a green colour and easy to tell apart from the rest of the tree. When the needles are crushed, they smell faintly of oranges or citrus. It's a really fragrant aroma, like most firs but not unpleasant. In my opinion, one of the best trees out there. I'm currently trying to germinate some from seed, wish me luck!