Firs of the Mediterreanean region.
A. alba = Dark yellow.
A. cephalonica = Cyan.
A. cilicica = Dark green.
A. marocana = Dark red.
A. nebrodensis = Yellow.
A. nordmanniana = Purple.
A. numidica = Red.
A. pinsapo = Blue (3).
Common Names
Algerian fir (2).Taxonomic notes
Syn: A. baberiensis Letourneux. (2).Description
"A tree up to 25 m high. Bark grey and smooth on young trees, becoming brown-gray, scaly and fissured with age. Crown conical, densely branched. Branches horizontally spread. Shoots yellow-green to brown, glossy and glabrous. Buds ovate, large, dark-brown. not resinous or slightly resinous. Needles densely packed, on the upper side of the shoot brush-like, but along the central part of the shoot absent thus forming a V-shape, 15-20 mm long, thick, tough, flat, twisted at the base, dark green, stomata lines apically, lower surface with 2 white stomata bands. Female flowers green-yellow. Cones cylindrical, 15-20 cm long, 3.5-5.5 cm wide; seed scales cca 3 cm wide, somewhat tomentose dorsally, reflexed and with an entire margin; bract scales short, do not protrude. Seed 12-14 mm long; wing longer than the seed, 1000 seeds weigh about 70 g. Cotyledons 4-8" (2).Range
Algeria, "where it occupies an area on Mounts Babor and Talahor in the Kabylie range, from 1300 to 2000 m altitude. It often mingles with Quercus mirbecki, Cedrus atlantica, Taxus baccata, Ilex aquifolium and other species" (2).Big Tree
Oldest
Dendrochronology
Ethnobotany
"Algerian fir withstands summer drought well. Since shoots appear rather late, it is not prone to spring frost injury. Low winter temperatures and impure atmosphere can damage this fir severely. It is suited for ornamental purposes because of its luxuriant, deep green crown. It can be successfully trimmed and therefore used for hedges. It is cultivated in the Mediterranean" (2).Observations
Remarks
Citations
(1) Silba 1986.(2) Vidakovic 1991.
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This page is from the Gymnosperm Database
URL: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2285/pi/ab/numidica.htm
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
E-mail:earlecj@earthlink.com
Last modified on 19-Jan-1999