Virginia Tech Dendrology

Nordmann fir Pinaceae Abies nordmannia (Steven) Spach symbol: --
Leaf: Flattened needles, shiny and very dark green above and silvery blue below, 3/4 to 1 1/2 inch long, blunt or notched at end; clustered and dense on the upper surface of the twig.
Flower: Species is monoecious; male cones borne beneath the leaves; female cones yellowish-green to green and borne upright near the top of the crown.
Fruit: Cones are upright, 5 to 6 inches long and 2 inches wide, oblong, with slightly erose cone scales; deciduous at maturity.
Twig: Moderately stout twigs with circular leaf scars; buds conical and lightly resinous to nonresinous.
Bark: Thin, smooth and gray with resin blisters; later breaking into small plates; much older trees becoming furrowed.
Form: A very beautiful ornamental tree, pyramidal, retaining lower branches. Ornamental heights of 60 feet are common, but this species has potential to grow to very large size.
Looks like: Fraser fir - grand fir

Additional Range Information: Abies nordmannia is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.

All material © 2019 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information