Damigeron's Dungeon: Prestigious Plants - Gymnosperms - Conifers 03

Plant Indices

Alphabetical Index (Genera)
Alphabetical Index (Vernacular)
Cladistic Index

FIR (Abies)

ᚐ

Family: Pinaceae

Abies Fabri, near Jieyindian Temple, Emei Shan, Sichuan, China.
From Avlxyz on Flickr.

Names:

Fir
Abete [Italian]
Abeto [Spanish]
Abetos [Portuguese]
Abil [Turkish]
Avete [Italian]
Brad [Romanian]
Choina [Polish]
Dangsun [Korean]
Eadelgran [Danish]
Edelgran [Norwegian]
Edeltanne [German]
Fyr
Fyri
Gran [Danish]
Grann [Swedish]
Gyokuran [Japanese]
Jedla [Slovak]
Jedle [Czech]
Jela [Croatian/Serbian]
Jelka [Croatian]
Jodla [Polish]
Kath [Kashmiri]
Kauri [Nepali]
Kuusi [Finnish]
Lamischiz [Lingua Ignota]
Momi [Japanese]
Paichta [Russian]
Pesse [French]
Pichta [Russian]
Pihtakuusi [Finnish]
Pikhta [Russian]
Pusarul [Marathi]
Sapin [French]
Shohav [Urdu]
Shan [Chinese]
Silbertanne [German]
Siruved [Estonian]
Tanne [German]
Vahtakuusk [Estonian]
Zirbel [German]

Distribution: North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Physical Description
A genus of ~50 species of evergreen coniferous trees. The Latin name means “to rise,” in reference to this tree’s incredible height of 10-80 m (33-262 ft). When mature, these tree trunks can reach up to 4 m (13 ft) in diameter. Their needles attach to the branch at a single point like a suction cup, and their cones stick vertically like cedars.

Wood Properties: No rot or insect resistance, indoor structural use only.

Symbolism

Ogham
In the Ogham script* the fir (silver/white fir in particular) is represented by the ailm sign ( ᚐ ; [a] sound; one short strike).

Through ailm the fir is associated with the lapwing and the color grey (according to ogham.lyberty.com/ogmean.html ).

Victorian Flower Language
Greenaway says the fir tree is an emblem of time and elevation.

Axis Mundi
According to (Tressider/Drury?) the fir was the axis of the world for many shamans, serving in that capacity as the bridge of worlds.

Courage
In Nordic culture, it is a symbol of courage and resolution.

Chastity/Virginity
There are several versions of the story of Atys, the priest of Cybele. Most of them, regardless of whether he is a transgressor or a victim of assault, end with him castrated or dead and transformed into a fir tree. Thereafter, the tree was sacred to Cybele, and her priests were to be eunuchs.

In Rome, unopened pine cones were sacred to Diana as symbols of virginity.

Fortune
In Nordic culture, it is a symbol of good fortune.

Revelry
The tree was sacred to Dionysus, and his cultists adorned themselves with tree foliage.

Sacrality
Sacred in Judeo-Christian tradition for its use in the ceiling of the Temple at Jerusalem.

In some places, fir is not cut down because it is the king of the forest and home to the spirit of the woods. In rural Russia (pre-Revolution), when a gigantic fir was toppled by a storm, the wood was not sold but instead donated to the church.

Wisdom
Modern practitioners of Celtic Neopaganism regard the fir as a symbol of far-sightedness and discernment because of its great height and cones’ response to sun and rain (opening and closing, respectively).

Silver Cones
In the Harz mountains there is a rock formation called the Hübichenstein, thrust up 50m (164ft) from the surrounding landscape. According to Skinner, the fir trees that grow near it are silvery.

In one folktale, a miner’s wife was collecting fir cones from that place for a day’s wages, whereupon she met a gnome with a long white beard. The gnome told her which tree produced the best seeds, and when she tried to gather from it, the cones fell in such numbers that she was terrified. Still, she gathered so many she nearly couldn’t carry them back. Upon returning home, she realized why the cones had been so heavy, for they were all made of silver.

Christmas Trees
The fir is the favored tree for Christmas trees, with a long history going back to the 16th century, typically attributed to the Protestant reformer Martin Luther. However, it clearly had many other earlier pagan influences.

Skinner claims that a significant contributor to this origin comes from the Germans of the Harz mountains. He says that girls dance about fir trees during religious festivals, sing pagan songs, and decorate them with ornaments, candles, and food offerings, supposedly to prevent an imp from escaping the tree. Skinner suggests there is variation in the practice, which is no doubt an imitative ritual of some folktale, as they are either trying to get something from the possession of the imp or convince him to accept his imprisonment and stop his escape attempts.

While this sounds plausible as a practice, his claim that this is the origin of the lighted Christmas tree is shaky at best, and we have not been able to find any parallels in our (limited) investigation of Germanic pagan and Yuletide practices.

Glade jul (1891), by Viggo Johansen.

Saint Martin of Tours
In this story we find an interesting problem in our sources. Our initial source was Skinner, who conveyed that the pagan Romano-Gallics of a particular village resisted when he attempted to cut down their sacred fir despite being silent when he demolished all else. According to Skinner, this pushback caused St. Martin to relent in his iconoclasm.

However, our other source is translated from Sulpitius Severus, St. Martin’s own contemporary hagiographer, who tells a very different story: that the pagans stopped St. Martin, claiming that if his faith was confirmed, he would let them cut down the tree themselves while he lay in the path of its fall and that his God would spare him. St. Martin agreed, and when the tree fell down upon him, he held up his hand and made the sign of the cross, sending the tree spinning away like a top and falling back, nearly crushing the audience. (This may be an embellishment to tie St. Martin to the famous tree-felling incidents recounted by Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus.)

We do not know where this discrepancy comes from, and our strongest explanation is that the function of Skinner’s book, Myths and Legends of Flowers, Trees, Fruits, and Plants, was intended to facilitate conversation on long trips. This suggests he may have put in intentionally incorrect information to invite correction. This poses several problems with using the book as a source, as I have cross-referenced much else in the book with other elements of my research, and there is considerable confirmed overlap.

Further, in his [Pine] entry, Skinner expresses a distaste for Sulpitius for giving that tree a diabolical character in the same hagiography. It may be that Skinner doesn’t like the tone of his source and doesn’t bother to absorb the information accurately.

Culture

Timber
Generally used as rough timber, plywood, and as pulp. Once logged, it has no insect or decay resistance, so it is suggested for indoor use only. It will decay within 12-18 months if exposed to the elements.

Magic
The fir has many magical associations. In Phrygia, it was closely associated with Cybele. In Roman myth, Rhea turned Attis into a fir to prevent his death.

Shamanic Power
A legend of the Yakut (in Russia) holds that the souls of shamans are born in a fir tree on Mount Dzokuo,* with the souls' potency increasing the higher up in the tree they are born.

*This compiler is unsure if this is referencing a place in place in the Dzokuo Valley in northeast India, as the Yakut are a Turko-Mongol people currently residing in Russia

Spell: Christmas Omen
According to Skinner, you may cast an augury of your own death by means of a Christmas tree. You must ensure the tree is a fir, not a spruce or pine, and you must have selected it specifically for this purpose before cutting it down. The spell is cast thus: adorn the tree with candles and light them all. Then, once all are lit, turn and look upon your own shadow on the wall from the candlelight. If your shadow has no head, you will die within the year.

Spell: Dream Ward
Lay a bough of fir across the foot of your bed, and you will have no nightmares.

We interpret this dream ward as working by elevating the sleeping self. It is placed at the feet, not the headboard, suggesting the dreamer is above the already elevated thing (the fir branch), which holds one pleasantly above the low darkness of the nightmare.

Spell: Barn Ward
Hang many fir sticks on the door to your barn, and it will ward away spirits that intend to steal your grain.

We interpret the fir as elevating the barn, just as granaries are held above the ground to prevent insect infestation. Held conceptually above the ground, verminous spirits cannot crawl to the barn’s contents.

Spell: Lightning Ward
A stick of fir, not entirely burned through, can fend off lightning.

We interpret this as talismanic in nature: "Behold! See this burn, o raging sky? Lightning has already struck this tree, and the spark of the storm strikes no place twice!”

Compiler Notes

The Victorian meaning of “elevation” is certainly about the tree’s height and is to be interpreted as something like “I elevate you” or “I elevate [idea expressed by another plant].” This makes it consequential as a reagent or wand wood because it facilitates the upward abstraction of concrete elements.
The “elevation” meaning lends an explicit upward trajectory to the bridge-of-worlds interpretation of the tree, making this a good tree for enlightening works. One might contemplate the path to heaven at the tree’s foot or employ this wood deliberately in spiritual healing.
As axis mundi, the fir may enable magicians to reorient themselves and navigate from a new zero-point when they find themselves in unfamiliar territory.
They may also employ it as a spiritual anchor, allowing them to pull themselves up out of trance states if they ever go too deep.
As an emblem of courage and resolution, the fir stands tall against the elements. By the fir’s example, even a crippled man may stand tall and proud in the face of any threat, drawing on its strength as he leans on it.
Fir wood denotes the interior of sacred space. It is not rot-resistant, so it composed only the interior ceiling of Solomon’s temple, whereas the resinous cypress may make its roof (exterior). This suggests the personal or domestic sacrality and the comfort that comes with that. Calling on this, a sage or priest may, by staff of fir, carry the interior of the temple wherever he goes. The personal experience of the sacred is emphasized here (gnosis) but has a distinctly vulnerable character.
While the previous entry suggests corruptibility on the part of the sage/priest, this might be employed intentionally to test the spiritual health of the lands they travel through, inviting what corruption is present to manifest in the wood rather than being repelled by it. This is further reinforced by the chaste/virginal attributions that the fir inherits from the Cybelene and Dianic cults, which courts profanation by its vulnerability.
The story of the silver cones identifies that fortune can be found in humble things with the right spirit of inspiration (the gnome).
The wood’s weakness to rot and insect infestation is likely something latched onto during the Christianization of Germany and the toppling of sacred firs. What could be so worthy of veneration yet so susceptible to corruption?
On the other hand, sacrality is understood to be a fragile thing, just as we see in virginity and chastity. The vulnerability of fir and its need for maintenance renders sacrality a doing, in the same way, that genuine love is something you do rather than feel.
An interesting prospect arises when one combines the belief of the Yakut with reincarnation, especially if the hypothetical society values shamanic power. They might bury their dead at the foot of tall fir trees to try and get the deceased souls to reincarnate out of the sacred firs!

Image Refs

[Img 01 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_fabri_in_mist.jpg ]

[Img 02 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Johansen_Viggo_-_Radosne_Bo%C5%BCe_Narodzenie.jpg ]

Abies numidica, Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil, Paris, France.
Own work -- Liné1.

Names:

Algerian Fir
Algerische Tanne [German]
Atlas Fir
Numidian Fir
Sapin D'algérie [French]
Sapin De Numidie [French]

Distribution:

Africa, Northern: Algeria

Physical Description
Algerian fir is a medium to large evergreen tree, 20-35m (65-115ft) tall, with a trunk 1m in diameter. It is drought tolerant.

Its flattened needle leaves are glossy dark green on top, with a patch of greenish-white stomata near the tip and two greenish-white stomatal bands on the underside.

The cones are green with a pink or violet tinge and mature to brown. They are 10-20cm (3.9-7.9in) long and 4cm (1.6in), with 150-200 scales, each producing two winged seeds.

Compiler Notes

Retained for name and distribution.

Image Refs

[Img 03 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_numidica_02_by_Line1.jpg ]

Abies spectabilis, Namche Bazaar, Nepal.
From mckaysavage on Flickr.

Names:

Bhutan Fir
Dunshing [Bhutanese]
East Himalayan Fir
Gobresalla [Nepali]
Himalayan Fir
Nepal Fir
Talispatra [Sanskrit]
Tansen [Tibetan]
Thingso [Bhutanese]

Distribution:

Asia, South: Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan
Asia, Central: Tibet

Physical Description
East Himalayan fir is a large evergreen tree up to 50m (160ft) tall.

Compiler Notes

Retained for name and distribution.

Image Refs

[Img 04 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_spectabilis_Namche_Bazaar.jpg ]

Abies borisii-regis, Vihren, Pirin Mountains, Bulgaria.
Taken by kikosev, on panoramio.

Names:

Bulgarian Fir
Borisova Jela [Croatian]
King Boris Fir
Macedonian Fir
Makedonska Ela [Macedonian]
Moesian Fir
Tsareva Ela [Bulgarian]

Distribution:

Europe, Southern: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia

Biome: Alpine

Physical Description
Bulgarian fir is a large evergreen tree growing between 40-50m (130-160ft) (occasionally up to 60m (200ft)), with a diameter of up to 1.5 m. Grows at altitudes of 800-1,800 m. Its leaves are flattened needles. Its cones are 10-21cm (3.9-8.3in) long and 4cm (1.6in) broad, with 150-200 scales, each producing two winged seeds.

Some botanists identify this as a natural hybrid between silver and Greek fir.

Abies borisii-regis cones. Pirin Mountains, Bulgaria.
Own work -- MPF.

Compiler Notes

Retained for name and distribution.

Image Refs

[Img 05 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_borisii-regis_Vihren_1.jpg ]

[Img 06 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_cone_%26_bits.jpg ]

Abies cephalonica, New Botanical Garden Marburg, Hesse, Germany.
Own work -- Willow.

Names:

Greek Fir
Cephalonian Fir
Elati [Greek]
Grecka Jela [Croatian]
Griechische Tanne [German]
Hellenic Fir
Kefalinia Göknarı [Turkish]
Kefallonian Fir
Sapin De Céphalonie [French]
Sapin De Grèce [French]

Distribution:

Europe, Central: Hungary
Europe, Southern: Italy (including Sardinia)
Europe, Western: England

Biome: Alpine

Physical Description
Greek fir is a medium-sized evergreen tree growing 25-35m (82-115ft), occasionally reaching 40m (130ft). It grows at altitudes from 900-1,700m (3,000-5,600ft). Its flattened, needle-like leaves have a glossy dark green topside and two blue-white stomata bands on the underside. The needle's point is blunt.

The cones are 10-20cm (4-8in) long and 4cm (1.6in) broad. They have 150-200 scales, each producing two winged seeds.

Cones of the Greek fir (Abies cephalonica) at mountain Parnitha.
Froma Alamy.

Compiler Notes

Retained for names and distribution.

Image Refs

[Img 07 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_cephalonica_001.jpg ]

[Img 08 - https://www.alamy.com/cones-of-greek-fir-abies-cephalonica-at-mountain-parnitha-image386414673.html ]

Abies firma, Wakehurst Place, UK.
From Tom Christian.

Names:

Momi Fir
Japanese Fir
Kyaraboku [Japanese]
Momi [Japanese]
Momi No Ki [Japanese]
Momi-Tanne [German]
Nihon Momi [Japanese]
Sapin Du Japon [French]
Shirabiso [Japanese]

Distribution:

Asia, East: Japan

Physical Description
Momi fir is a medium to large evergreen tree, up to 50m (160ft) tall and 2m (6.5ft) in diameter. Grows at altitudes of 50-1600m (160-5,200ft). Its needles are flat, with a bright green topside and two grey-green stomatal bands.

The cones are 7-15cm (2.8-5.9in) long and 3-5cm (1.2-2in) wide.

Compiler Notes

Retained for name and distribution.

Image Refs

[Img 09 - https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/abies/abies-firma/ ]

Abies homolepis, Dawes Arboretum, Ohio.
By slyperso1.

Names:

Nikko Fir
Japanese Fir
Nikko-Momi [Japanese]
Nikko-Tanne [German]
Sapin De Nikko [French]
Ura Momi [Japanese]
Ura Shiro Momi [Japanese]
Uraziromomi [Japanese]

Distribution:

Asia, East: Japan

Biome: Temperate wet rainforest with heavy winter snowfall.

Physical Description
Nikko fir is a medium to large evergreen tree, 30-40m (100-130ft) tall and up to 1.5 m in diameter. Grows at 700-2,200m (2,300-7,200ft) in temperate rainforest with high rainfall, humid summer, and heavy winter snowfall.

Its leaves are flattened needles, with a glossy green topside and two white stomatal bands on the underside. They are slightly notched at the tip.

The cones are 6-12cm (2.3-4.7in) long and 3-4cm (1.2-1.6in) wide and purple-blue before maturity.

Nikko fir is resistant to air pollution.

Abies homolepis foliage and cone, Kyloe Wood, Northumberland, UK.
By MPF.

Compiler Notes

Retained for name and distribution.

Image Refs

[Img 10 - https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/221518 ]

[Img 11 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_homolepis_cones.jpg ]

Abies nordmanniana, from koju.de.

Names:

Nordmann Fir
Caucasian Fir
Christmas Tree
Jela Kavkaska [Croatian]
Kafkas Göknarı [Turkish]
Kaukasische Tanne [German]
Kaukasisk Ädelgran [Swedish]
Kaukasus-Tanne [German]
Nordmann's Fir
Nordmann Fir
Nordmanniana [Danish]
Nordmanns Tanne [German]
Nordmannsgran [Danish/Norwegian/Swedish]
Nordmannsgran [Norwegian]
Nordmannsgran [Swedish]
Sapin De Nordmann [French]
Sapin Du Caucase [French]

Distribution: Black Sea

Asia, Northern: Russia (North Caucasus)
Asia, West: Turkey

Biome: Alpine

Physical Description
The Nordmann fir is a large evergreen tree 55-61m (ft) tall with a trunk diameter of up to 2m (6.5ft). Some specimens are reported to be 78-85m (256-279 ft), making them the tallest trees in Europe (despite being non-native). Grows at altitudes of 900-2,200m (2,900-7,200ft).

The flat, needle-like leaves have a glossy dark green topside, with two blue-white stomatal bands on the underside. The tip is often both blunt and notched.

The cones are 10-20cm (3.9-7.9in) long and 4-5cm (1.6-2in) wide, with 150-200 scales, each producing two winged seeds.

Abies nordmanniana cones, Cathays Cemetery, Cardiff, Wales.

Culture
Most importantly, fir is grown for Christmas trees because its leaves are attractive, not sharp, and shed slowly when the tree dries out.

Compiler Notes

Retained for names and distributions.

Image Refs

[Img 12 - https://www.koju.de/sortimentshop/nadelgehoelze/794/abies-nordmanniana-hkg-ambrolauri ]

[Img 13 - https://www.cardiffparks.org.uk/trees/cathayscemetery/abies-nordmanniana2.php ]

Abies pindrow, Mukeshpuri mountain, Pakistan.
Own work -- Khalid Mahmood.

Names:

West Himalayan Fir
Himalayan Fir
Himalayan Low-Level Fir
Himalayan White Fir
Indian Silver Fir
Morinda [Hindi]
Pindrow
Pindrow Fir
Raga [Hindi/Nepali]
Raj Raga [Nepali]
Tosh [Hindi]

Distribution:

Asia, South: Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan

Biome: Alpine, cool/humid, high rainfall.

Physical Description
Pindrow fir is a large evergreen tree up to 40-60m (130-200ft) tall. It grows in cool, humid environments with lots of rainfall at altitudes between 2,400-3,700m (7,900-12,100ft).

The flattened needle leaves are long for a fir, with glossy dark green on the top and two whitish stomatal bands on the underside.

The cones are 7-14cm (2.8-5.5in) long and 3-4cm (1.2-1.6in) wide. They are dark purple when young.

Compiler Notes

Retained for name and distribution.

Image Refs

[Img 14 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rich_Green_Mukeshpuri.JPG ]

Abies sibirica, Rogów Arboretum, Poland.
Own work -- Cruiser.

Names:

Siberian Fir
Jela Sibirska [Croatian]
Kiro-Momi [Japanese]
Pécea De Sibérie [French]
Pichta [Russian]
Pihta [Estonian]
Pikhta [Russian]
Sapin De Sibérie [French]
Sibeřská Jedle [Czech]
Sibirische Tanne [German]
Sibirisk Ädelgran [Swedish]
Sibirisk Ædelgran [Danish]
Sibirische Zilverspar [Dutch]
Sibirská Jedle [Czech]
Siperianpihta [Finnish]

Distribution: Taiga east of the Volga River,

Asia, Central: Kyrgyzstan
Asia, East: China (Xinjiang)
Asia, Northern: Russia (Altay, Amur, Buryatiya, Chita, East European Russia, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, North European Russia, Tuva, West Siberia, Yakutskiya)

Biome: Alpine and Taiga.

Physical Description
The Siberian fir is a medium evergreen tree 30-35m (100-115ft) tall with a trunk 0.5-1m in diameter. It grows at altitudes of 1,900-2,400m (6,200-7,900ft). It is frost-hardy and shade-tolerant. Due to fungal infection, it rarely lives longer than 200 years.

The flat needle leaves are light green on the top side, with two grey-white stomatal bands on the underside.

The cones are 5-9.5cm (2-3.7in) long and 2.5-3.5cm (1-1.4in) wide.

Culture
Wood is used in construction, furniture, and wood pulp. Essential oil is extracted from the leaves for perfume.

Compiler Notes

Retained for name and distribution.

Image Refs

[Img 15 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_sibirica_HDR.jpg ]

Abies nebrodensis, Castellana Sicula, Madonie, Sicily.
From Carlo Columba on Flickr.

Names:

Sicilian Fir
Abete Dei Nebrodi [Italian]
Abeto De Sicilia [Spanish]
Abies De Sicile [French]
Madonie Fir
Nebrodi Fir
Sapin De Sicile [French]
Sicilian Fir
Sizilianische Tanne [German]

Distribution:

Europe, Southern: Italy (Sicily)

Biome: Alpine, dry.

Physical Description
Sicilian fir is a medium-sized evergreen tree 15-25m (49-82ft) tall with a trunk diameter of up to 1m. It grows at altitudes of 1,400-1,600m (4,600-5,200ft) on dry slopes.

Its needle leaves are flat, with a flossy dark green topside and two greenish-white stomatal bands on the underside.

The cones are 10-16cm (3.9-6.2in) long and 4cm (1.6in) wide, with ~150 scales, each producing two winged seeds.

Abies nebrodensis cones, Gothenburg Botanic Garden, Sweden.
From Tom Christian.

Compiler Notes

Retained for name and distribution.

Image Refs

[Img 16 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_nebrodensis_Castellana_Sicula1.jpg ]

[Img 17 - https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/abies/abies-nebrodensis/ ]

Silver Fir (Abies alba) in Silesian Beskids, Poland.
Own work -- Cruiser.

Names:

Silver Fir
Abete Bianco [Italian]
Abeto Blanco [Spanish]
Abeto Branco [Portuguese]
Almindelig Aedelgran [Danish]
Avete [Romanian]
Avete Bianco [Italian]
Brad [Romanian]
Brad Alb [Romanian]
Common Silver Fir
Edeltanne [German]
European Silver Fir
Gewone Zilverspar [Dutch]
Gokaya [Turkish]
Jedle Bělokorá [Czech]
Jedle Biela [Slovak]
Jela Obična [Croatian]
Jodla Pospolita [Polish]
Navadna Jelka [Slovenian]
Pihta Europaicus [Russian]
Sapin Argenté [French]
Sapin Blanc [French]
Sapin Commun [French]
Sapin Des Vosges [French]
Sapin Pectiné [French]
Tanne [German]
Vit Gran [Swedish]
Vit Silvergran [Swedish]
Weisstanne [German]
White Fir

Distribution:

Europe, Central: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland
Europe, Eastern: Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine
Europe, Southern: Albania, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain
Europe, Western: France (including Corsica)

Biome: Alpine

Physical Description
European silver fir is a large evergreen tree growing 40-50m (130-160ft) tall with a trunk up to 1.5m in diameter. Occurs at altitudes 300-1,700m (980-5,580ft), preferring over 500m (1,600ft). Its leaves are flattened needles, glossy dark green on the topside, with two greenish-white stomata bands below, and usually notched at the tip. It produces cones that are 9-17cm (3.5-6.7in) long and 3-4cm (1.2-1.6in) wide. Each cone has 150-200 scales, with each scale producing 2 winged seeds.

European silver fir often forms stands with Norway spruce, Scots pine, and European beech.

The wood is strong, lightweight, light-colored (hence the name), fine-grained, even-textured, and long-fibered, making it ideal for interior construction and furniture.

Abies alba cones, own work -- Jerzy Opiola.

Culture

Essential Oil
Essential oil from the silver fir is used in perfume, bath products, and aerosol inhalants.

Spruce Beer
All parts of its branches (needles, bark, wood) were used to produce spruce beer.

Wine Casks
Used since classical Rome to make wine casks.

Christmas Tree
Original Christmas tree, despite being popularly replaced by the Nordmann fir and Norway spruce.

Fir Honey
Honeybees collect the honeydew from aphids on this tree. The resulting honey is marketed as “fir honey.”

Compiler Notes

Use the term “dead whites” in a riddle where the phrase refers to fir trees, playing on the audience’s expectation that it relates to snow-capped mountains or something else while in the area.
The relation between the European silver fir, Norway spruce, Scots pine, and European beech suggests a structural relationship. They could be the heraldry of allied houses or directional trees in a sacred stand, with the resident mystics identifying each with a cardinal direction. One might even identify each tree as representative of one of the elements! There’s a lot to work with here.

Image Refs

[Img 18 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_alba_Wis%C5%82a_1.jpg ]

[Img 19 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_alba_R1.JPG ]

Abies pinsapo var. tazaotana, Wakehurst Place, UK.
Photo by David Iliff.

Names:

Spanish Fir
Abeto Andaluz [Spanish]
Abeto De España [Spanish]
Abeto Español [Spanish]
Andalusian Fir
Hedgehog Fir
Moroccan Fir
Pinsapo [Spanish]
Pinsapo Fir
Sapin D'Espagne [French]
Spanische Tanne [German]
Spansk Ädelgran [Swedish]
Tanne Von Spanien [German]

Distribution:

Africa, Northern: Morocco
Europe, Southern: Spain

Biome: Alpine

Physical Description
The Spanish fir is a medium to large evergreen tree, 20-30m (65-100ft) tall. It grows at altitudes of 900-1,800m (3,000-5,900ft) in Spain and 1,400-2,100m (4,600-6,900ft) in the Rif mountains of Morocco.

Its flat needle leaves have a pale blue-green topside with two whitish stomatal bands on the underside.

Abies pinsapo var. marocana cone.
Own work -- Chiswick Chap.

Compiler Notes

Retained for name and distribution.

Image Refs

[Img 20 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_pinsapo_var._tazaotana,_Wakehurst_Place,_UK_-_Diliff.jpg ]

[Img 21 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_pinsapo_var._marocana_cone.jpg ]

Abies cilicica, Ammoua Reserve, Akkar district, North Lebanon.
Own work -- Elie plus.

Names:

Taurus Fir
Cilician Fir
Kilikische Tanne [German]
Kilikya Göknarı [Turkish]
Sapin De Cilicie [French]
Syrian Fir
Taurus Fir
Toros Göknarı [Turkish]

Distribution:

Asia, West: Lebanon, Syria, Turkey

Biome: Alpine

Physical Description
Cilician fir is an evergreen tree that grows at elevations of 800-2,100m (2,600-6,900ft).

Bark Properties: Resin.

Culture
1st-century resin blocks were found by archaeologists at the Egypto-Roman port of Berenice Troglodytica on the Red Sea. This resin was used medicinally and in the mummification process.

Presently the tree is used for plywood production but is rarely cultivated for this purpose due to its susceptibility to late frosts in the early spring.

Medical

Resin
The ancients used the resin of the Cilician fir and its derived oil for these reasons:

Antiseptic
Diuretic
Wrinkle treatment
Worm extraction
Promoting hair growth

Compiler Notes

This resin is a tradeable commodity that is good for world-building economies.

Image Refs

[Img 22 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_cilicica.JPG ]

* * * * * * *

See Also:

Plants
Flowers
Trees
Ferns
Moss and Lichen [Pending]
Fungi [Pending]
Cladistic Index
Herbal Medicine [Pending]
Resin, Incense, Balsam, and Lacquer [Pending]

Cedar
Cypress
Ephedra
Ginkgo
Juniper
Larch
Pine
Spruce
Yew

* * * * * * *

-Drury, N. (2004). The dictionary of the esoteric: 3000 entries on the mystical and occult traditions. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.

-Drury, N. (2005). The Watkins Dictionary of Magic: 3000 entries on the magical traditions. Watkins.

-Higley, Sarah L. (2007). Hildegard of Bingen’s Unknown Language: An Edition, Translation, and Discussion. Palgrave Macmillan.

-Greenaway, Kate. Language of Flowers. George Routleage and Sons.

-Skinner, Charles M. “Myths and Legends of Flowers, Trees, Fruits, and Plants : In All Ages and in All Climes : Skinner, Charles M. (Charles Montgomery), 1852-1907 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott Co., 1 Jan. 1970, https://archive.org/details/mythslegendsoffl00skin.

-Tresidder, J. (2008). The Watkins Dictionary of Symbols. Watkins.

Name assistance provided by Claude 3.5 Sonnet.

Damigeron's Dungeon

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Prestigious Plants - Gymnosperms - Conifers 03 - Fir

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