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Pseudotsuga
menziesii variety glauca (Douglas Fir) Pinaceae (Pine Family) Foothills, montane,
subalpine. Woodlands. Spring. Neither a Fir nor a Spruce, Douglas Fir is more akin to Hemlock ("Pseudotsuga" means "false Hemlock" -- "Tsuga" is the Japanese name for Hemlock). Douglas Fir is a magnificent tree usually growing on moist, shady, north-facing slopes, but it can also be found on rocky open slopes. Pseudotsuga menziesii is common in cool mesa coves, foothills, lower mountains, and even in the subalpine zone of the Four Corners. In the Four Corners mountainous areas it is a giant at 180 feet and five feet in diameter, but in Pacific coastal areas it reaches well over 250 feet tall and 8 feet in diameter. The above photograph centers on a Douglas Fir but it is flanked by Ponderosa Pines. The size of the trees can be estimated by noting the person with the orange hat in the lower left of the photograph. Douglas Fir was formerly known as "Douglas Spruce", and thus came the name for the now famous "Spruce Tree House" of Mesa Verde National Park. In the late 1880s the Wetherill brothers saw a large group of sandstone buildings tucked into a high and shallow cave in a canyon wall. They shinnied down a "Douglas Spruce" to reach the buildings. The specific epithet of the scientific name is for Archibald Menzies (1754-1842), Scottish botanist who collected leaves, cones, and seeds of this grand tree on Vancouver Island in 1791. (More biographical information about Menzies.) The common name is for David Douglas, widely acclaimed botanist and explorer in the early 1800s. Douglas was for a number of years thought to be the first collector of specimens of this tree. (More biographical information about Douglas.) |
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Pseudotsuga
menziesii variety glauca (Douglas Fir) Pinaceae (Pine Family) Foothills, montane,
subalpine. Woodlands. Spring. A few giant Douglas Firs remain in the Four Corners region. |
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Pseudotsuga
menziesii variety glauca (Douglas Fir) Foothills, montane,
subalpine. Woodlands. Spring. Douglas Fir bark is irregularly furrowed and dark gray with hints of orange in crevices. This giant tree is over four feet in diameter. |
Pseudotsuga
menziesii variety glauca (Douglas Fir) Foothills, montane,
subalpine. Woodlands. Spring. Bark of older trees is commonly clothed with several lichen species. A very different bark layer of swirling browns sometimes shows for short or long sections of the tree trunk. |
Pseudotsuga
menziesii variety glauca (Douglas Fir) Pinaceae (Pine Family) Foothills, montane,
subalpine. Woodlands. Spring. Douglas Fir needles are flat, soft, shiny green, fragrant, and 1 to 1 ½ inches long. New needles are light blue-green to light green. Notice the narrow, pointed, reddish brown buds that are characteristic of Douglas Firs. | ||
Pseudotsuga
menziesii variety glauca (Douglas Fir) Foothills, montane,
subalpine. Woodlands. Spring. Pseudotsuga menziesii cones are distinctive, having bracts projecting from the cone; they appear to be little mouse hind legs and tails. Douglas Firs are easy to identify: look at the cones scattered along the trail under the trees. |
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Pseudotsuga
menziesii variety glauca (Douglas Fir) Pinaceae (Pine Family) Foothills, montane,
subalpine. Woodlands. Spring. This stunted and twisted old giant shows the wide range of conditions that many living things can tolerate and it also shows the wide range of characteristics a plant can evince. Normally Douglas Fir grows straight and tall on moist, sheltered, north facing slopes or in protected canyons. Here, dead branches top a twenty foot tall, centuries old tree that is completely exposed on a steep southwest facing slope. Several other ancient trees are nearby; on the ground at this giant's feet are dead limbs of this and other Douglas Fir trees; and quite close-by are several young trees, just three feet tall. |
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From the left: Pinus ponderosa variety scopulorum (Ponderosa Pine) Pinus flexilis (Limber Pine) Pseudotsuga menziesii variety glauca (Douglas Fir) All three tress are members of Pinaceae (Pine Family) The photograph of the tall trees is from the
Lower Calico National Recreation Trail, September 21, 2020. |
Range map © John Kartesz,
County Color Key
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Range map for Pseudotsuga menziesii |