Southern Balsam Abies fraseri
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- AY-bees FRAY-zer-eye
- Description
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Fraser fir is a needled, evergreen tree in the Pinaceae (pine) family native to the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States. It is found at elevations of 4,000 to 6,700 feet, often in stands with red spruce trees. It is named for John Fraser (d. 1811), Scottish botanist and plant collector.
Fraser fir grows best in full sun to light shade and moist, well-drained, acidic, loamy soil. It does not tolerate heat. It is monoecious, meaning that it has both male and female reproductive parts on the same plant.
This tree has a narrow, conical shape when young and grows to 30 to 55 feet tall with a trunk that is 1 to 2 feet thick. It is commercially farmed in North Carolina as a Christmas tree. The Christmas tree industry has ranked it as the number one Christmas tree species!
The needles are fragrant and long-lasting making the fraser fir an excellent specimen tree for a garden for the blind, a children’s garden, or a recreational play area.
Quick ID Hints:
- Long bracts on the cone that curl downward, unlike the short bracts on balsam fir cone that are hidden by the scales.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The balsam wooly adelgid, an introduced insect, is a major threat to wild fraser fir populations. The deadly infestations easily and quickly spread among trees.
VIDEO Created by Homegrown featuring Jeff Owen, Area Extension Forestry Specialist for NC State Extension
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Caanan Fir'
- 'Fastigiata Compacta'
- 'Klein's Nest'
- 'Prostrata'
- 'Caanan Fir'
- 'Caanan Fir', 'Fastigiata Compacta', 'Klein's Nest', 'Prostrata'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Caanan Fir'
- 'Fastigiata Compacta'
- 'Klein's Nest'
- 'Prostrata'
- 'Caanan Fir'
- 'Caanan Fir', 'Fastigiata Compacta', 'Klein's Nest', 'Prostrata'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Abies
- Species:
- fraseri
- Family:
- Pinaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Grown and exported as a Christmas tree. It was also used for medicinal purposes by Cherokee people.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Appalachian Mountains
- Distribution:
- Southwestern NC, VA, TN
- Play Value:
- Fragrance
- Pieces Used in Games
- Wildlife Food Source
- Dimensions:
- Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 55 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Conical
- Dense
- Pyramidal
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 24-60 feet
- NC Region:
- Mountains
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- Upright purple-brown cones, 2.5 inches long, with yellow-green bracts with tips that curl downward. When ripe, the seeds, scales, and bracts fall off together, leaving behind the woody core of the cone.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- White
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Long-lasting
- Leaf Type:
- Needles
- Leaf Shape:
- Acicular
- Linear
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Flattened needles, 1 in. long, shiny, dark green, with a roundo notched point. The undersides are a silvery white.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Smooth
- Bark Description:
- On young trees, the bark is smooth, thin, and light gray, blistered with resin on its surface.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Branches hold a whorled form up the trunk.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Recreational Play Area
- Slope/Bank
- Landscape Theme:
- Children's Garden
- Garden for the Blind
- Design Feature:
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Pollution
- Urban Conditions
