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Just beautiful photographs

Firs, (Abies)

What kind of species are you dealing with.

All species photographed.

Silver_fir Abies_alba | White_fir Abies_concolor | Korean_fir Abies_koreana | Nordmann_fir Abies_nordmanniana | Veitch_fir Abies_veitchii
Grand_fir | Nikko fir | Spanish_fir | noble_fir | Siberian_fir (foreign)

The Abies fir-trees form a family (genus to be exact) with many species from north-Amerika, but also from Europe. They are mostly found in gardens and parks but sometimes in forests/woods. This seems to be true everyhere Europe I have been. The genus contains really large trees, but in gardens one can also meet some small varieties. You recognise them easily by the soft flat and mostly non-stinging needles. If you pull a needle of the branch the bark does not tear apart, and the end of the needle looks like a small suction-cup.
summer photograph naaldboomvergelijk-sparrenimg_2001.jpg On the picture left an Abies fir-tree needle, right a spruce (picea). The spruce needle has a bit of bark attached to it after tearing the needle of a twig, the fir-tree needle does not, and the tear-spot is round. Furthermore the fir-tree needles smell like an orange if you rub them together. So does the resin, often under the bark in "blisters". Cones stand up on the branches and fall apart while being on the tree. Under the tree you can find loose cone-scales. The core of the cone stays on braches looking like a candle.
The fir-trees are at the end of the softwood key because the difference between many species is rather impossible: it is very difficult to tell them apart. Frequently you must see the cones to be certain of the species, and these can sit 20 meters high in the tree, or are not present at all.
Nevertheless not all hope is lost. There are a couple well distinguishable species. For the rest I can do little more than show the photographs and describe characteristics.

Species I do not have: Greek fir/ Abies cepalonica; Bulgariam fir, Pontic, Cillic, Pacific, Corck, Algerian, Himalaya fir and so on.