Canaan fir is a needled evergreen tree in the Pinaceae (pine) family found in the high-elevation mountains of West Virginia, Virginia, and the northern most eastern states into Canada. The common name Cannan comes from the Canaan Valley which is located northeast of Elkins, WV. It is similar to Fraser and balsam firs within both appearance and growth rate. Plant in the full sun to partial shade. Canaan fir tolerates wet soils better than other firs though it prefers moist, well-drained sandy loam acidic soils. It grows to a mature heigh of 55 feet and width of 25 feet so be sure to have enough room for this needled evergreen. While Canaan fir does not tolerate urban pollution well its buds break later than Fraser or balsam fir so it is less susceptible to frost damage. This handsome formal densely branched conical tree with short dark blue green needles makes an ideal accent plant, small grouping, for screening or it can be used as a Christmas tree. Use it in a rain garden, near a lawn, or in a naturalized area, meadow, or woodland area. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: See potential pests of conifers fact sheet to the left. More information on Abies balsamea .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12-24 feet; 24-60 feet
NC region
Mountains
Mature size
Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 55 ft. 0 in. | Width: 20 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Columnar; Dense; Pyramidal
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Blue; Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf feel
Soft
Leaf value
Fragrant; Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Needles are 0.8 to 1 inch long, flat, soft, dark green above and have silvery blue-white, longitudinal bands or stripes on the underside. The needles are highly fragrant.
Flower detail
no flowers
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver; Purple/Lavender
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit detail
Violet cones turn gray-brown when mature
Bark color
Dark Gray
Bark detail
Smooth gray bark
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Appalachian Mountains
Distribution
ME , NH , VA , VT , WV
Attracts
Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn; Meadow; Naturalized Area; Woodland
Landscape theme
Rain Garden
Design feature
Accent; Screen/Privacy; Small groups
Garden tags
#needled evergreen #Christmas trees #blue green needles #fragrant leaves #mountains #acidic soils tolerant #frost tolerant #naturalized area #lawn tree #rain garden #urban conditions intolerant #meadow #woodland #accent #screen #small groups