What kind of Abies?

11 years ago

I purchased this plant as Abies numidica 'Anthoine'. However, the foliage looks nothing like that of Abies numidica..

Any suggestions or help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

-Sam

Comments (6)

fotisr
11 years ago
Sam, it looks like Abies cephalonica to me, with a hint of hybridization with Abies alba, but not enough to call it Abies borisii-regis. All the forests I've hiked in the continental Greece have Abies cephalonica with some degree of hybridazation with Abies alba. Many of the trees look like this one (within natural diversity). Unfortunately I haven't yet been to Cephalonia island's forest were there is supposed to be the habitat of pure Abies cephalonica stands and check the true form.

But since I'm no expert I might be 100% mistaken... :)

Best regards,
Fotis
monkeytreeboy15
Original Author
11 years ago
I thought it looked like Abies cephalonica also with the exception that the needles are longer, more pointed and are not arranged in quite the same pattern. (The needles don't point upward like that of Abies cephalonica.)
This would allude to a probable hybridization with Abies alba..
Thank you, Fotis.
Any other ideas?

-Sam
clement_2006
11 years ago
Yes, it's Abies cephalonica.
I selected this plant many, many years ago from 1 Abies cephalonica seedling, with a strange dwarf , congested growth.I grafted less than 10 plants in 2 or 3 years,
because he look to similar (in a first time) to Abies cephalonica 'Meyer's Dwarf'.
4 or 5 plants are buyed by collector, and it's strange you have this cultivar in USA.
According to Edwin, It's a pitty, the name change to numidica ! I don't know why ??
Clement ANTHOINE
monkeytreeboy15
Original Author
11 years ago
Don Howse has been growing it, and this is the first year he offered it for sale. I was anxious to receive a dwarf form of Abies numidica, but a nice dwarf Abies cephalonica is also good!
I will change it in my databases to cephalonica. Is it possible that there was any hybridization with a neighboring Abies alba?

-Sam
coniferjoy
11 years ago
Clement, you never know which way conifers will go.
For some years you think they they're lost in cultivation and then suddenly they will show up at a place you never could expected before...
mesterhazypinetum
10 years ago
Clement,
I listed this plant years ago as Abies numidica Anthoine based on the Franz Etzelstorfer Collection without further informations. I guessed, that this may anyhow familiar with you, but in the Conifer Treasury of Belgium 2.0 we didn't took it earlier.
Sometimes we win new infos about older cultivars just so simply.
I think this may renamed in the US, and Etzelstorfer may got it also from America as a numidica.
Thanks to Sam for the new infos, and having a good eye.

Zsolt
conifertreasury.org