Japanese Fir Abies firma
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- AY-bees FIR-mah
- Description
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Moni Fir is a needled evergreen conifer in the pine (Pinaceae) family that is native to hills and mountain slopes in central to southern Japan. The genus name is Latin for tree and the specific epithet is a reference to firm needles.
Moni fir will grow 40-70 feet tall in cultivation, up to 150 feet tall in its native habitat and 30-40 feet wide. It has a conical-pyramidal form. Plant in full sun or with some afternoon shade in average, consistently moist and slightly acidic soil. It is tolerant of clay soils. This fir is more tolerant of hot humid climates than most firs are and can be grown in the southeast.
The needles on this fir are strongly two-ranked on one side of the branch similar to a comb. Young needles have 2 sharp spines at the tips. The seed cones are held upright as is common for firs.
Use a specimen for a large yard, screening or as a Christmas tree.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: None serious. Possible insects are bark beetles, spruce budworms, aphids, bagworms, spider mites and scale. Potential disease problems include cankers, heart rot, root rot, needle rust, and twig blight.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Abies
- Species:
- firma
- Family:
- Pinaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Used as bonsai and Christmas trees. Wood is used for timber, flooring, crates, and paper pulp
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Japan
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Is immune to the balsam woolly adelgid which can be a problem for other species of fir. It is resistant to phytopthora root rot.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Columnar
- Conical
- Open
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Fine
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Wet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Length:
- > 3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- No fruits but produces cones. Seed cones are 3 to 6 inches long, conical, erect on branches and showy through the summer. In autumn, the cone breaks apart releasing the seeds and leaving only the central axis of the cone on the tree. The pollen cones are 1.3 inches long and droop from the leaf axils.
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Flowers:
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Description:
- No flowers.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Prickly
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Leaf Type:
- Needles
- Leaf Shape:
- Filiform
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Needles 0.8 to 1.5 inches long, dark green, fragrant, flattened, spreading at nearly right angles from the shoot and strongly two-ranked. Needles are notched at the base and sharply pointed at the tip. They are bright green above, and greyish-green below with two, broad, longitudinal stripes.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Light Brown
- Light Gray
- Red/Burgundy
- Surface/Attachment:
- Fissured
- Ridges
- Scaly
- Shredding
- Spongy
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Irregular
- Bark Description:
- The bark is scaly grey-brown, with resin blisters on young trees. Becomes scaly, fissured and corky with age.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Young branches are ascending but become horizontal with age. The shoots are grooved, buff to grey-brown, glabrous or finely pubescent
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Screen/Privacy
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Heat
- Humidity
- Wet Soil
