Cilician Fir
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Average mature size of 60-80' tall and 25' wide. Matures to a narrow conical or pyramidal tree.

Native Range

E Turkey: Antitaurus Mtns.; N Syria; Lebanon; at 1000-2100 m elevation. Subspecies isaurica endemic to Turkey: the Isaurian Taurus.

Flower and Fruit Details

Fruits in cylindrical cones, reddish brown, 5.9-11.8" long by 1.5-2.4" wide, apex bluntly pointed; scales fan-shaped, bracts hidden, quarter-to-half the height of the scale, mucronate, seeds are reddish-brown, with obovoid wing, to 0.8" long.

Leaf and Bark Features

Evergreen: Needles loosely arranged with 2 white bands on underside. Bark ash-grey, smooth, becoming deeply fissured into scaly plates. Branchlets smooth, reddish yellow-grey to olive-brown, with scattered pubescence.

Culture and Care

Plant in sun to light shade, with moist, well-drained soil.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Ashy gray bark and bright green needles, similar to the commonly planted Abies nordmanniana. Native to calcareous, limestone-based rocky soils with hot dry summers.

Suggested Uses

Use as a specimen tree.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA