Abies procera

Noble fir

Family: Pinaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Noble fir is a California native tree found in northern Klamath Ranges and northern California Ranges in upper mixed-conifer to subalpine forests at elevations above 1,500 meters. Its distinctive mature form features a cylindric crown with a rounded top and smooth gray bark that develops reddish-brown tones with age and distinctive resin blisters. Growing to impressive heights of up to 85 meters with remarkably wide trunks approaching 2.8 meters in diameter, this conifer develops hairy twigs and densely structured branches. Its needles are characteristically flat and approximately 4 centimeters long, with a unique triangular cross-section and notched or blunt tips that display whitish bands on the upper surface. The tree produces seed cones up to 15 centimeters long, with strongly reflexed bracts that cover more than 90 percent of the cone's surface.

Habitat: Upper mixed-conifer to subalpine forests

Elevation: > 1500 m

Bioregions: n KR, CaRH

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.