Flower: Monoecious; males occur on undersides of leaf axils, purple to yellow-brown; females occur in upper crown, inconspicuous.

Fruit: Cones are upright, 2 to 3 1/2 inches long, oblong to cylindrical, green with purple tinge, with bracts shorter than the scales. Cones are deciduous with seed dispersal in mid-September.

Twig: Yellow-green, later turning gray. Leaf scars are flat and rounded.

Bark: Dull green to gray, smooth except for numerous resin blisters. Later becoming scaly.

Form: Balsam fir is a small to medium-sized tree with a narrow, spire-like crown.