Abies mariesii

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Maries' fir

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Abies
Species:
A. mariesii
Binomial name
Abies mariesii
Mast.
Maries' fir leaves

Abies mariesii (Maries' fir, in Japanese, オオシラビソ or アオモリトドマツ, Ōshirabiso, or Aomoritodomatsu) is a

temperate rain forest
with high rainfall and cool, humid summers, and very heavy winter snowfall.

It is a medium-sized

stomata below, and slightly notched at the tip. The leaf arrangement is spiral on the shoot, but with each leaf variably twisted at the base so they lie flat to either side of and above the shoot, with none below the shoot. The shoots are orange-red with dense velvety pubescence. The cones are 5–11 cm long and 3–4 cm broad, dark purple-blue before maturity; the scale bracts are short, and hidden in the closed cone. The winged seeds
are released when the cones disintegrate at maturity about 6–7 months after pollination.

Maries' fir is very closely related to

Pacific silver fir A. amabilis from the Pacific coast of North America
, which is distinguished by its slightly longer leaves (2–4.5 cm) and larger cones (9–17 cm long).

Discovery

Maries' fir is named after the English plant collector Charles Maries (1851–1902), who introduced the species to Britain in 1879.

According to the account in "

Honshū) for a steamer to convey him to Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido:

Maries noticed a conifer new to him growing in a garden, and learnt that it could be found in quantity on a neighbouring mountain. He went in search, and had reached a height of 3,500 ft., when it became obvious that the bamboo scrub formed an impassable barrier on that side of the mountain, and he reluctantly had to turn back, although the object of his search could plainly be seen. The following day he again made the ascent, but this time from the north side, and he succeeded in procuring cones of a new species, since named by Maxwell T. Masters, Abies mariesii.[2]

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42291A2970199.en
    . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ISBN 0-9553515-0-2
    .
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