Abies procera (noble fir)

Japanese name: ノーブルモミ
Scientific name: Abies procera

[Overview]
An evergreen coniferous tree growing in the mountains of western North America.
The trunk is erect, up to 70 m tall and 2 cm in diameter, and rarely reaches 90 m in height and 2.7 m in diameter.
The tree has a narrow conical shape.
The bark is grayish white and somewhat smooth, but becomes reddish brown and fissured in mature trees.
The branches come off the trunk at nearly right angles, and young branches are reddish brown with fine hairs.
The leaves are densely arranged, linear, 10–35 mm long and 1.5–2 mm wide, and glossy bluish green.
There are male and female flowers; the male flowers are borne singly in the leaf axils of the previous year's branches, with many stamens gathered in an ovoid shape.
The female flowers are also borne singly in the leaf axils of the previous year's branches, and are cylindrical.
The fruit is a cylindrical cone 10–25 cm long, standing erect and facing upward.
The cones are green at first but turn brown when ripe, and the tips of the bracts project long from the cone scales and curve back.
After ripening, the cone scales fall apart, leaving the axis behind.
The seeds are winged and are dispersed by wind in autumn.

[Uses]
In America it is a popular tree for Christmas trees.
The wood is used for construction material and pulpwood.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It suits cool regions.
It prefers fertile soil that is sunny, well drained and moisture-retentive.
In warm areas, let it spend the summer in cool partial shade out of the afternoon sun.
It is shade tolerant.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless sunny weather continues.
When growing a potted plant indoors, it is good to mist the leaves from time to time during dry periods.
For potted plants, apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil in spring.
Pests include spider mites and the larvae of longhorn beetles (teppo-mushi).

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