| Greek fir | |
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Pinaceae |
| Genus: | Abies |
| Species: | A. cephalonica |
| Binomial name | |
| Abies cephalonica | |
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| Distribution map | |
Abies cephalonica orGreek fir[2] is afir native to themountains ofGreece, primarily in thePeloponnesos and the island ofKefallonia, intergrading with the closely relatedBulgarian fir further north in thePindus mountains of northernGreece. It is a medium-sizeevergreenconiferoustree growing to 25–35 metres (82–115 ft) – rarely 40 m (130 ft) – tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in). It occurs at altitudes of 900–1,700 m (3,000–5,600 ft), on mountains with a rainfall of over 1,000 millimetres (39 in).
Theleaves are needle-like, flattened, 1.5–3.0 cm (0.6–1.2 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) wide by 0.5 mm (0.02 in) thick, glossy dark green above, and with two blue-white bands ofstomata below. The tip of the leaf is pointed, usually fairly sharply but sometimes with a blunt tip, particularly on slow-growing shoots on older trees. Thecones are 10–20 cm (4–8 in) long and 4 cm (1.6 in) broad, with about 150–200 scales, each scale with an exserted bract and two wingedseeds; they disintegrate when mature to release the seeds.
It is also closely related toNordmann fir to the east in northernTurkey.
Greek fir was important in the past forwood for general construction, but it is too rare to be of significant value now. It is also grown as an ornamental tree inparks and largegardens, though in areas that often get late frosts it is prone to frost damage, as it is one of the firstconifers to open fresh growth in spring.
The generic name Abies, already used by the Latins, could, according to an etymological interpretation, derive from the Greek word ἄβιος = long-lived. The specific name cephalonica derives from the Greek Cephallenia and refers to the largest of the Ionian islands, which falls within the range of the species.
The Cephalonian fir has a conical shape, it rarely exceeds 25 m, even if it can reach 35 m. The branches are arranged in regular whorls and the small branches are shiny brown, close together and glabrous. Among the fir trees it is one of those with the thickest crown.
They are 2-3 cm long, needle -like, prickly and bright green on the upper face; they have two silvery white streaks separated by a green vein below. They are arranged radially around the branches.
Media related toAbies cephalonica at Wikimedia CommonsAuthority control databases: National |
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