Douglas-fir
Coast Douglas-fir in Lassen Volcanic National Park (larger version) Douglas Fir branch, larger.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Pinaceae Genus: Pseudotsuga
Species
See text for details

Douglas-fir\ is the common named applied to coniferous trees of the Genus Pseudotsuga in the Family Pinaceae, with two species native to the Pacific coast and mountains of western North America, one in Mexico and two in eastern Asia. The Douglas-firs have given botanists fits due to their similarity to various other conifers: having, at times, been called pines, spruces, hemlocks, and true firs. Because of the distinctive cones, Douglas-firs were, in 1867, placed in the new genus Pseudotsuga, meaning "false hemlock". The hyphen in the common name indicates that Douglas-fir is not a "true" fir — it is not a member of the genus Abies. The common name honors David Douglas, the Scottish botanist who first introduced the tree into cultivation in 1826. Douglas is known for introducing many North American native conifers to Europe.

The leaves are flat, generally resembling those of the fir. The female cones are pendulous, with (unlike true firs) persistent scales, and are distinct in having long tridentine bracts that protrude prominently above each scale.

The best-known species in the genus is Pseudotsuga menziesii, also known as 'Coast Douglas-fir', 'Oregon Pine', 'Oregon Douglas-fir', 'Douglas Tree', or 'Interior Douglas-fir'. These trees can attain heights second only to the Coast redwood. This species is the state tree of Oregon. The specific name, menziesii, is after Archibald Menzies, a Scottish physician and naturalist who first discovered the tree on Vancouver Island in 1791.

Table of contents

1 Species and varieties 2 References 3 External links 4 Links to other Pinaceae

Species and varieties

• Bigcone Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga macrocarpa
• Coast Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
  • Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca
• Mexican Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga lindleyana

Cone from a Coast Douglas-fir

• Arboretum de Villardebelle - cone photos Images of cones of selected species
• Gymnosperm Database