The Flora of Mount Shasta Shasta Red Fir Pine Family (Pinaceae) Abies magnifica

Red Fir Forest with Avalanche Gulch in the background
© 2001 Ken and Leona Beatty

Growth Form: Young trees charactistically have whorls of horizontal branches. Older trees are less symmetrical in their branching pattern but have shorter branches, an adaptation to highter elevations and heavier snow loads.

Leaves: Short and stiff, look like a miniature hockey stick. The needles grow tightly against the twig, especially in the upper part of the tree.

Bark: Thick, deeply furrowed and reddish brown.

Cones: 6" to 8" in length, papery bracts extend beyond the scales. The cones of true firs (Abies) generally develop in the upper part of the tree.

Found: Klamath and southern Cascade ranges, especially on Mount Shasta, Scott, and Trinity mountains and higher elevations in the Sierras.

Tidbits: Shasta Red Fir is commonly called a Silver Tip on the Christmas tree market.