DOUGLAS
FIR
pseudotsuga menziesii
- The
Douglas Fir is also known as Coast Douglas-fir, Oregon Pine,
Oregon Douglas-fir, Douglas Tree, Interior Douglas-fir
- This
is not a fir at all but 'Pseudotsuga' or "False
Hemlock"
- The
Douglas Fir is named after the Scottish botanist, David
Douglas, who introduced many of the native conifers to Europe
UNIQUE
FEATURES:
- The
Douglas Fir has distinctive three-forked bracts between the
scales on the cones
LOCATION:
- The
Douglas Fir grows in the United States, on the southern mainland coast of British
Columbia, Vancouver Island and elsewhere.
- An
interior variety of the Douglas Fir is found throughout
western United States and southern and central BC
SIZE:
- The
Douglas Fir can reach up to 85 metres in height on the coast
and 42 metres in the interior
CONES:
- 5
to 11 cm long
- green
when young, turning to brown as they age
- papery
scales, with three pronged bracts (resembling mouse hind legs
and tail) in between them
- have
winged seeds
- seeds
are eaten by birds and small animals
NEEDLES:
- flat
with pointed tips
- bright
yellowish-green with single groove on upper surface
- paler
colour on lower surface
- spirally
arranged so appear to stand out around the twig
BARK:
- smooth,
grey-brown, blistered when young
- furrowed,
thick, dark reddish-brown ridges as the tree ages
- bears
scrape off the bark to eat the sap layer beneath
WOOD
CHARACTERISTICS:
- dense,
hard, stiff, durable, strong
USES:
- modern
- heavy duty construction such as wharves, trestles, bridge
parts and commercial buildings
- traditional
- wood: fuel, fishing hooks, handles, snowshoes, fishtraps;
boughs: floor coverings; seeds: eaten; twigs/needles: can
exude a sugar like substance which was prized
QUICK/EASY
ID (identification) for DOUGLAS FIR
- cones:
forked
- needles:
flat, fragrant, friendly (the boughs are soft to the touch
when you run your hand up and down)
- bark:
furrowed
 Thanks
for your consideration!
Very Sincerely Yours,
David J. Old and Family.
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