The Caucasian fir is Native to the Caucasus mountains and northeastern Turkey. It grows at elevations of 3,000 to 7,200 feet above sea level on mountains with an annual rainfall of over 40 inches so it is best suited for a northern climate. It dislikes hot, dry summers and clay soils. The genus name is old Latin for tree. Specific epithet honors Alexander Davidovic von Nordmann, a Finnish biologist who discovered the tree in 1836. The tree casts dense shade with branches that often reach the ground. This tree will reach 40 to 60 feet tall and 15 to 25 feet wide but in its native habitat can reach 200 feet tall. It prefers full sun to partial shade in acidic, fertile well-drained soil. It is easy to transplant and is one of the easier firs to grow. The glossy green needles have two stomal bands on the undersides. The large reddish-brown cones are held upright. Commonly grown as a commercial Christmas tree, it can be used as a specimen or for screening in the cooler summers of higher elevation areas. Quick ID Hints: black-green needle color with white stripes smooth bark with resin blisters long cones, 6" circular leaf scars Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: None serious. Balsam woolly adelgids, bark beetles, spruce budworms, aphids, bagworms, and scale. Cankers, heart rot, root rot, needle rust, and twig blight. Intolerant of urban pollution; often damaged by deer. VIDEO created by Ryan Contreras for “Landscape Plant Materials I: Deciduous Hardwoods and Conifers or Landscape Plant Materials II: Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University
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
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
24-60 feet
NC region
Mountains
Mature size
Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in. | Width: 15 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Pyramidal
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Black; Green; White
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Flattened, glossy dark green needles (to 1.3 inches long and less than 0.1 inch thick). Needles have two white longitudinal stripes underneath. The tip of the leaf is usually blunt, often slightly notched at the tip, but can be pointed though they are not sharp. Upper needles are shorter and point forward. Needles remain on tree even after death.
Flower color
Insignificant
Flower detail
No flowers
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
> 3 inches long
Fruit detail
Cylindrical seed cones 6 inches long, dark reddish-brown. With all firs, the cones are upright on the branches. Cone scales drop to release winged seeds.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Charcoal gray to red-brown smooth texture with resin blisters until it is very mature.
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Needles densely cover stems. Buds are not resinous. Leaf scars are round.