Abies fraseri

The Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) is an endangered species of fir native to the Appalachian Mountains of the Southeastern United States. Abies fraseri is closely related to Abies balsamea (balsam fir), of which it has occasionally been treated as a subspecies (as A. balsamea subsp. fraseri (Pursh) E.Murray) or a variety (as A. balsamea var. fraseri (Pursh) Spach). Some botanists regard the variety of balsam fir named Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis as a natural hybrid with Fraser fir, denominated Abies × phanerolepis (Fernald) Liu. The species Abies fraseri is named after the Scottish botanist John Fraser (1750–1811), who made numerous botanical collections in the region. It is sometimes misspelled "Frasier," "Frazer" or "Frazier." In the past, it was also sometimes known as "she-balsam" because resin could be "milked" from its bark blisters, in contrast to the "he balsam" (or Picea rubens, the red spruce) which could not be milked. It has also occasionally been called balsam fir, inviting confusion with A. balsamea. Abies fraseri is a small evergreen coniferous tree typically growing between tall, but rarely to , with a trunk diameter of , but rarely . The crown is conical, with straight branches either horizontal or angled upward at 40° from the trunk; it is dense when the tree is young and more open in maturity. The bark is thin, smooth, grayish brown, and has numerous resinous blisters on juvenile trees, becoming fissured and scaly in maturity. The leaves are needle-like; arranged spirally on the twigs but twisted at their bases to form two rows on each twig; they are long and broad; flat; flexible; rounded or slightly notched at their apices (tips); dark to glaucous green adaxially (above); often having a small patch of stomata near their apices; and having two silvery white stomatal bands abaxially (on their undersides). Their strong fragrance resembles that of turpentine. The cones are erect; cylindrical; long, rarely , and broad, rarely broad; dark purple, turning pale brown when mature; often resinous; and with long reflexed green, yellow, or pale purple bract scales.