Abies concolor

Common name: Colorado spruce

Description:

The Colorado fir ( Abies concolor ) is an evergreen conifer belonging to the Pinaceae family. It is a pyramidal fir tree that can reach 20 to 50 meters in height, it is a mountain tree and grows in mountainous areas of North America up to 3,500 meters above sea level.

There are two subspecies of this fir: The Abies concolor subps. concolor and Abies concolor subps . Iowana that refer to the geographical areas of North America where they develop.

It has acicular leaves, up to 6 cm long, flattened, bluish green. It has two white bands (which are actually stomata). The floral cones generate upright, cylindrical strobili, up to 12 cm long, purple-green in color, and full of winged seeds that facilitate their dispersal.

Culture:

The Colorado spruce is a very resistant tree that grows in high mountain areas. It is widely used as an ornamental plant due to the beauty of its bluish-green foliage.

It grows in full sun exposures, but can thrive in partial shade if it receives a few hours of direct sunlight daily. In its natural state it grows in deep soils, which do not become waterlogged, and which have a good presence of organic matter.

The substrate where they develop must be acidic, not tolerating clay soils. It requires irrigation to maintain humidity. It can tolerate frost down to -25ºC.

It does not require pruning and is very resistant to pests and diseases as long as waterlogging is avoided, as it could be attacked by fungi or rotting of the root system.

Multiplication:

Primarily through seed germination, varieties are often propagated by cutting.

Applications:

Ornamental use as an isolated specimen, or forming copses. It can become an exemplary tree.