The bark is smooth and gray. Noble firs show attractive, smooth, silvery-gray bark with one inch gray-green or bright blue-gray leaves. This is a magnificent tree which is among the taller species of fir trees. Choose a species with good cold hardiness in your region. Evergreen trees work well for practical use as an outdoor privacy screen or windbreaker. There are four types of true cedar trees that belong to the Cedrus genus, though there are also several ‘false’ cedar trees, which are commonly referred to as cedar trees but do not belong to the cedar genus. This conifer starts to produce cones when the tree is less than three feet tall. Varieties to Try: Glauca Prostrata, Horstmann’s Silberlocke. Browse the entire list below. It has a delightful fragrant aroma and soft flat green needles that stay on the tree after being cut. The cylindrical cones are 3 1/2 to 12 inches long. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series. The needles are around 1.18” (3 cm) and have notched tips. 18 Mugo Pine. Although several other coniferous trees are commonly called firs—e.g., the Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga), the hemlock fir (see hemlock), and the joint fir (see Ephedra), true firs are native to North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. True cedars belong to the family of pine trees, called Pinaceae. 1. Due to their short stature and conical shape, you are likely to see these trees in ornamental gardens. The soft-textured tree has variable color, depending on seed source, with the blue-green types being the most attractive and hardy. Fraser fir trees are small evergreen coniferous trees with thin trunks and soft dark-green needles. Water: Plant in consistently moist, well-drained soil. Other descriptive names of this fir include giant fir, western white fir, and great silver fir. Top needles point forward like ski jumpers; side needles are nearly perpendicular to the twig. Abies, Fir trees are a genus comprised of 66 taxa (species, subspecies and varieties) of evergreen conifer trees. First introduced in the 1800s, it’s been a valuable timber source and provided homes for the likes of red squirrels and pine martens. The soft fir needles stay on the shoots for a long time after the tree is cut. Fir, Douglas. Conifers are also known as softwoods. In the pine family, true fir trees (genus Abies) include 11 species native to North America. Its flattened needle leaves help to identify this Abies species along with green cones that grow to between 2.3” and 4.7” (6 – 12 cm) long. Scotch Pine; When someone mentions a Christmas tree, you probably picture a Scotch pine (also known as a Scots pine). All trees in Canada can be distinguished as being a conifer or deciduous tree. All firs are characterized by short, mostly soft needles that are blunt-tipped and do not leave a raised scar on the twig (characteristic of spruces). The easiest way to identify fir trees is by looking at their needles and cones. Fir trees can be distinguished from other members of the pine family by their needle like leaves, attached to the twig by a base that looks like a small suction cup, and by erect cylindrical cones 5 to 25cm (2 to 10in) long that disintegrate at maturity to release the winged seeds. Types of Fir Wood . Firs are distinguished from other pines by needle-like leaves that attach singly to the branches. Spanish firs have a distinct conical shape and purple cones. Cones are dark purple to brown and grow to between 1.5” and 3.14” (4 – 8 cm) long. The barrel-shaped cones are 3 to 6 inches long, green or pale blue maturing to brown or purple, but they may not appear on the tree for the first 40 years. Also called the Canaan fir, these fir trees are described as medium-sized trees that have a thick sticky aromatic resin. Types of Fir Trees. 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