Fraser Fir
Abies fraseri
A Southern Appalachian endemic confined to the highest peaks, with short dark needles silvered beneath and upright purple cones that disintegrate on the tree. It is the nation's favorite Christmas tree for its fragrance and stiff branches. Wild stands have been devastated by the introduced balsam woolly adelgid, and it struggles in hot, humid lowland gardens.
- Family
- Pinaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 30–50 ft
- Spacing
- 10–25 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic
- Bloom
- April
- Bloom colors
- purple
- Wildlife value
- songbirds, mammals
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~117 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- specimen, hedge or screen
- Native states
- NC, TN, VA
Related native plants
More Abies species
- Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)
- White Fir (Abies concolor)
- Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa)
- Grand Fir (Abies grandis)
- Noble Fir (Abies procera)