Douglas Fir
(Pinaceae Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Adopted in 1939.
The Douglas Fir, Pinaceae
Pseudotsuga menziesii, named for
David Douglas, a 19th century Scottish
botanist, was designated state tree in
1939. Great strength, stiffness and
moderate weight make it an invaluable
timber product said to be stronger than
concrete. Averaging up to 200' in height
and six feet in diameter, heights of
325' and diameters of 15' also can be
found.
Douglas-fir also called red-fir,
Oregon-pine, Douglas-spruce, and piņo
Oregon (Spanish), is one of the world's
most important and valuable timber
trees. It has been a major component of
the forests of western North America
since the mid-Pleistocene (30). Although
the fossil record indicates that the
native range of Douglas-fir has never
extended beyond western North America,
the species has been successfully
introduced in the last 100 years into
many regions of the temperate forest
zone (31). Two varieties of the species
are recognized: P. menziesii (Mirb.)
Franco var. menziesii, called
coast Douglas-fir, and P. menziesii
var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco,
called Rocky Mountain or blue
Douglas-fir.
Description:
- Leaf: Evergreen, single
needles that lack woody pegs or
suction cups. Needles are
yellow-green to blue-green, 3/4 to 1
1/4 inch long, very fragrant. Needle
tips are blunt or slightly rounded.
- Flower: Monoecious; males
oblong, red to yellow, near branch
tips; females reddish, with long
bracts, occurring near branch tips.
- Fruit: Very distinctive,
3 to 4 inches long with rounded
scales. Three-lobed bracts extend
beyond the cone scales and resemble
mouse posteriors. Maturing in
August.
- Twig: Slender and
red-brown, with long, sharp,
pointed, red-brown buds.
- Bark: Smooth and gray on
young stems, becoming thickened,
red-brown with ridges and deep
furrows.
- Form: A pyramidal crown
that is somewhat open and
self-prunes poorly. Stems are
characteristically straight.
Taxonomic Hierarchy
|
Kingdom |
Plantae -- Plants |
Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta --
Vascular plants |
Superdivision |
Spermatophyta – Seed
plants |
Division |
Coniferophyta – Conifers |
Class |
Pinopsida – |
Order |
Pinales – |
Family |
Pinaceae – Pine family |
Genus |
Pseudotsuga Carr.
– Douglas-fir |
Species |
Pseudotsuga menziesii
(Mirbel) Franco –
Douglas-fir |
Source:
Dendrology at Virginia Tech
U.S. Department of Agriculture
|