What tree is this?

[armybloke]

Quick check for your self is;

 

Abies - pull a leaf from a branch and if the 'heel' is absent from the leaf it is Abies sp.

Picea - pull a leaf from a branch and if the 'heel' is present it is Picea sp.

 

This appears to be through your rather fuzzy picture a species of Silver Fir. Are the underside of the leaf light in colour?

[treerjb]

Cant be a spruce if the needles are flat.

Looks like a pacific silver fir to me or similar.

Abies Amabilis?

[armybloke]

You're absolutely right; that's why I suggested Fir

[daltontrees]

Quick check for your self is;

 

Abies - pull a leaf from a branch and if the 'heel' is absent from the leaf it is Abies sp.

Picea - pull a leaf from a branch and if the 'heel' is present it is Picea sp.

 

Good one! Books refer to these 'heels' as cups. Quite distinctive. Since Picea is pronounced Pie see a, the way to remember this is pull off a needle and if you can say 'I see a' heel or cup, it's 'Pie see a'. Other mnemonics may be available.

[armybloke]

I do have a little cheat-sheet somewhere for remembering evergreen/conifer species. I will have to dig it out and post a few. They are so handy especially when a little rusty!

 

Cedar subsp;

 

Atlas - ascending branches

Lebanon - level branches

Deodar - drooping branches

 

for those not paying attention I use the first letter of each subsp. name to describe the form -

 

other branch forms maybe available at other sites around the globe, however, I am generalising here

[Wes Mantooth]

armybloke - the underside of the leaves are indeed light in colour!

[Andrew Gale]

Looks a bit more like Nordman fir Abies nordmanniana to me

[meteorquake]

"Pegs" where I first read that distinction for spruce... so the mnemonic would be "peg-see-a" or "pegsier" - any more will sound like a pig's ear...

[Yournamehere]

Good one! Books refer to these 'heels' as cups. Quite distinctive. Since Picea is pronounced Pie see a, the way to remember this is pull off a needle and if you can say 'I see a' heel or cup, it's 'Pie see a'. Other mnemonics may be available.

 

...and referring to the pines as the Pinus group, or an individual tree as a Pinus, and prounouncing it Pee-nus, can lead to much mirth.

Just sayin' like.

Happy days.

YNH