Common Names

Fraser fir, southern balsam fir (Hunt 1993), balsam, she-balsam.

Taxonomic notes

Synonymy (Farjon 1998):

• Pinus fraseri Pursh 1814;
• Pinus balsamea L. var. fraseri (Pursh) Nutt. 1818;
• Abies humilis Bach. 1826;
• Picea fraseri (Pursh) Loudon 1838
• Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. var. fraseri (Pursh) Spach 1841;
• Abies americana Prov. 1862 non Mill. 1768;
• Picea balsamea (L.) Loudon var fraseri (Pursh) J. Nelson 1866;
• Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. subsp. fraseri (Pursh) E. Murray 1982.

"Some have argued that Fraser fir is at the end of a disjunct cline of balsam fir [Abies balsamea] and perhaps does not deserve separate specific status. A.E. Matzenko took the opposite view, classifying Fraser fir and balsam fir in different taxonomic series of the genus" (Hunt 1993). Farjon (1990) assigns both species to Section Balsamea but places A. balsamea in subsection Laterales and A. fraseri in subsection Medianae. He also notes the existence of a natural hybrid of the two species, Abies × phanerolepis (Fern.) Liu, occurring where the ranges overlap in Virginia. The hybrid is distinguished by its seed cones, which are small (2-2.5 × 1.5-2 cm) , with exserted bracts much smaller than those of A. fraseri.

Description

Trees to 25 m tall and 75 cm dbh, with a open, symmetrical, pyramidal to spire-shaped crown. Bark gray, thin, smooth, with age developing appressed reddish scales, later turning gray. Branches diverge from the trunk at right angles; twigs are opposite, pale yellow-brown, with a reddish pubescence. Buds exposed, light brown, conic, small, resinous, apex acute; basal scales short, broad, equilaterally triangular, glabrous, resinous, margins entire, apex sharp-pointed. Leaves 1.2-2.5 cm × 1.5-2 mm, 2-ranked, particularly in lower parts of tree, to spiraled, flexible; cross section flat, grooved on the upper side; odor turpentinelike, strong; lower surface with (8-)10(-12) stomatal rows on each side of the midrib; upper surface dark lustrous green, sometimes slightly glaucous, with 0-3 stomatal rows at midleaf, these more numerous toward leaf apex; apex slightly notched to rounded; resin canals large, ± median, away from margins and midway between upper and lower epidermal layers. Pollen cones at pollination red-yellow or yellow-green. Seed cones cylindric, 3.5-6 × 2.5-4 cm, dark purple overlaid with yellowish green bracts, sessile, apex round; scales ca. 0.7-1 × 1-1.3 cm, pubescent; bracts exserted and reflexed over cone scales. Seeds 4-5 × 2-3 mm, body brown; wing about as long as body, purple; cotyledons ca. 5. Wood pale brown with white sapwood. 2n=24. (Sargent 1922, Hunt 1993).

Range

USA: Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia (the hybrid reported to also occur in West Virginia) at 1,200-2,038 m elevation in mountain forests, usually on north-facing slopes. Annual precipitation of 850-2,000 mm is distributed through the year, with heavy snowfall in the winter. There are many scattered populations, usually forming mixed stands with Picea rubens, sometimes Betula papyrifera, and an understory commonly depauperate, rich in mosses, or dominated by Ericaceous shrubs. Of conservation concern due to its relative rarity (Farjon 1990, Hunt 1993). See also Thompson et al. (1999).

Big Tree

Height 29 m, dbh 97 cm, crown spread 18 m; at High Hampton Inn in NC (American Forests 1996).

Oldest

An unsupported figure of about 150 years is given by (Burns and Honkala (1990).

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

"The fragrant branches are popular with travelers, for beds" (Dallimore et al. (1967)).

Observations

Remarks

Fraser fir has been decimated in many areas by the attacks of an introduced insect pest, the balsam wooly adelgid. First introduced in New England in 1908, the adelgid reached Mt. Mitchell (highest point in the eastern United States and formerly home to a splendid Abies fraseri - Picea rubra forest) in 1957 and has since killed at least 80% of the mature Fraser firs on the mountain. The adelgid kills the tree by inducing a reaction in which the tree blocks sap flow in its xylem. The affected wood, called "rotholtz" (red heart) is very dense and has a red color (source: interpretive museum at Mt. Mitchell summit, Oct-2004).

The species is named for its discoverer, John Fraser (1750-1811), an ardent collector of North American plants.

Citations

Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 1: 63. Image downloaded from the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database (23-Dec-2004).

See Also

Elias (1987).

FEIS database.