Abies concolor (White Fir)
Pinaceae (Pine Family)

Montane. Woodlands. Spring.
Haviland Lake, April 31, 2008.

Abies concolor occurs in all the Four Corners states.  It is a handsome tree, which does, however, as this photo indicates, tend to become distorted with age.

Philip Miller named this genus in the 18th century; "Abies" is the classical Latin name.  The species was first collected for science by Augustus Fendler in his mid-1840s botanizing in the New Mexico and the plant was first named Picea concolor by George Gordon and Robert Glendinning in 1858.  It was renamed Abies concolor by Lindley in 1861, and, interestingly, it was given a third genus name in 1868 when the eminent botanist George Engelmann named it Pinus concolor.

Abies concolor (White Fir)
Pinaceae (Pine Family)

Montane. Woodlands. Spring.
Haviland Lake, April 31, 2008.

Abies concolor (White Fir)
Pinaceae (Pine Family)

Montane. Woodlands. Spring.
Haviland Lake, April 31, 2008.

The sharply upward curving leaves are common, but not always so pronounce as pictured.  Leaves are pale blue-green, flat, and blunt-tipped.

Abies concolor (White Fir)
Pinaceae (Pine Family)

Montane. Woodlands. Spring.
Haviland Lake, April 31, 2008.

Bark on young and mature trees is light gray but ages from smooth to furrowed and scaled.