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photograph
"This Chinese species cannot be confused with any other Abies species because of the unique bark" (2).
Abies squamata Masters 1906

Common Names

Flaky fir (4).

Taxonomic notes

No synonyms (5). The sole species in Section Squamatae E. Murray.

Description

"A tree up to 40 m high. Bark reddish-brown, exfoliating in thin papery layer like that of a birch, even on trees only 6 year of age. Shoots with dense brown hairs. Buds globose, red-brown, very resinous. Needles densely arranged, erect, not pectinate, linear, 1.5-2.5 cm long, rounded or acute apex, bluish green, with 2 white stomata bands on lower surface. Cones oblong-ovate, 5-6 cm long, violet when young; the tips of bract scales protruding past the seed scales, which are 1.5 cm wide" (4).

Range

China: W Sichuan alpine zone at 3500-4000m (1, 4); also S Qinghai; E Tibet (5).

Big Tree

Oldest

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

Observations

Remarks

Citations

(1) Silba 1986.
(2) van Gelderen et al. 1986.
(3) Cheng & Fu 1987.
(4) Vidakovic 1991.
(5) Farjon 1998.

[Abies] [Pinaceae] [home]

This page is from the Gymnosperm Database
URL: http://www.geocities.com/~earlecj/pi/ab/squamata.htm
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
E-mail:earlecj@earthlink.com
Last modified on 22-Jun-1999

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