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 A tall, stately tree that can grow up to 80 metres when mature.
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Leaves
Needles are flat with rounded and notched ends. They are dark green and
grooved on top with two white bands underneath. Needles are arranged to form flat sprays
that show both the upper and lower surfaces of the twig.Cones
Seed cones are barrel-shaped and yellowish-green, growing upright on the
branches, high in the crown. The cones shed the scales with the seeds during autumn. |
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Young Bark
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Bark
The bark is smooth and greyish-brown with white spots and blisters filled
with gummy resin when young. The bark becomes furrowed and scaly with age. |
Where to
find grand fir
It is found from sea level to mid elevations along the southern coast and
around the Kootenay and Columbia rivers in the southern Interior. |
Habitat
Grand fir prefers drier climates than the other true firs in British
Columbia. In the Interior, it commonly grows in mixed coniferous forests with Douglas-fir,
western hemlock, and western white pine, and with queen's cup, falsebox, and prince's pine
on the ground below. On the coast, western redcedar and flowering dogwood may also be
present, with salal, Oregon-grape, western trillium and vanilla-leaf beneath. |
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| These forests are often home to bears and cougars; owls and
woodpeckers; and toads, frogs and salamanders. Grand fir, like other true firs, has a
thin bark which makes it susceptible to fire. It has increased in abundance since forest
fire fighting activities began. |
Uses
The Okanagan people built canoes from grand fir bark and rubbed its pitch
on paddles to give them a good finish. They also applied pitch to the back of bows to
provide a secure grip. Kwakwaka'wakw shamans wove branches into headdresses and
costumes; they also used branches for scrubbing before rites and rituals. The Hesquiat
made branches into incense and decorative clothing for wolf dancers. They also rubbed the
pitch mixed with oil on their scalps as a perfume and to prevent baldness.
Notes
The name Abies is derived from the Latin abeo meaning
"to rise" and refers to the great height attained by some species. Fir is
derived from the Old English furh or fyrh or the Danish fyrr, meaning
"fire", from its use as firewood.
Many of the true firs are incorrectly called balsam. The true balsam fir (Abies
balsamea) is found east of the Rocky Mountains. |
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