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Abies fraseri

Phonetic Spelling
AY-bees FRAY-zer-eye
Description

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:
  • 'Caanan Fir'
  • 'Fastigiata Compacta'
  • 'Klein's Nest'
  • 'Prostrata'
'Caanan Fir', 'Fastigiata Compacta', 'Klein's Nest', 'Prostrata'
Tags:
#fragrant#evergreen#full sun tolerant#conical#needles#large tree#slow growing#native tree#dark green#conifer#tsc#NC native#children's garden#native garden#playground plant#fragrant needles#Braham Arboretum#partial shade tolerant#Christmas trees#Christmas decorations#tsc-cg#cpp
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Caanan Fir'
  • 'Fastigiata Compacta'
  • 'Klein's Nest'
  • 'Prostrata'
'Caanan Fir', 'Fastigiata Compacta', 'Klein's Nest', 'Prostrata'
Tags:
#fragrant#evergreen#full sun tolerant#conical#needles#large tree#slow growing#native tree#dark green#conifer#tsc#NC native#children's garden#native garden#playground plant#fragrant needles#Braham Arboretum#partial shade tolerant#Christmas trees#Christmas decorations#tsc-cg#cpp
  • 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.
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Insignificant
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    Branches hold a whorled form up the trunk.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Recreational Play Area
    Slope/Bank
    Landscape Theme:
    Children's Garden
    Garden for the Blind
    Design Feature:
    Specimen
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Pollution
    Urban Conditions