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Scientific name: Abies veitchii Lindley 1861
Synonyms: Abies eichleri Lauche, Abies nordmanniana var. eichleri (Lauche) Beissn., Abies veitchii var. komagatakensis Hayashi, Abies veitchii var. nikkoensis Mayr, Abies veitchii var. olivacea Shiras., Abies veitchii var. reflexa Koidz., Abies veitchii var. veitchii, Picea veitchii (Lindl.) Gordon, Pinus nephrolepis var. veitchii (Lindl.) Voss, Pinus selenolepis Parl., Pinus veitchii (Lindl.) W.R.McNab
Infraspecific taxa: Abies veitchii var. sikokiana (Nakai) Kusaka 1954
Common names: Veitch fir, Veitch's silver fir, Shikoku fir (English), Shirabiso (Japanese)
Tree to 25(-30) m tall or dwarfed at the alpine timberline, with trunk to 0.8(-1) m in diameter. Bark grayish white, usually remaining so with age. Branchlets densely covered with short brown hairs that are soon lost, not or shallowly grooved between the leaf bases. Buds 3-4.5 mm long, moderately to heavily resinous. Needles arranged to the sides and above the twigs, angled gently forward, (0.5-)1-2.5 cm long, shiny dark green above, the tips flat or slightly notched. Individual needles flat to a little plump in cross section and with a resin canal on either side toward the outer edge nearer the lower epidermis than the upper but not touching it, without or with a few scattered stomates in the groove above near the tip and with 13-15 lines of stomates in each white stomatal band beneath. Pollen cones 8-15 mm long, purplish brown. Seed cones cylindrical, (3-)4-6(-8) cm long, (1.5-)2-2.5 cm across, blackish purple (rarely green) when young, maturing dark purplish brown. Bracts a little shorter than or about as long as the externally hairy seed scales and usually cone axis narrowly cylindrical. Seed body 4.5-6 mm long, the wing half as long or a little less. Cotyledons four or five.
The specific epithet honors John Gould Veitch (1839 - 1970), who collected specimens and seeds of the species on Mount Fuji in 1860 for his family's nursery firm in England.
Central Honshu, Kii Peninsula, and central Shikoku (Japan). Forming pure stands or mixed with other conifers in the subalpine forest; (800-)1,200-1,900(-2,800) m.
Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern
Despite the Veitch fir (Abies veitchii) being restricted to high elevations, its distribution and regeneration appear to guarantee the survival of this species. It is therefore listed as Least Concern.
It makes pure forest on high mountains with large individuals and wide distribution at the core area in Central Honshu. But, in some low altitude mountains such as Ohdaigahara, the population size is small and decreasing.
The 'typical' variety of Abies veitchii grows on high mountains at elevations between 1,200 m and 2,800 m asl (reported from as low as 1,050 m). The soils are usually of volcanic origin, podzolic and well drained. The climate is cool and wet, with annual precipitation between 1,000 mm and 2,500 mm, and with cold, snowy winters; frequent typhoons cause destruction of the forest in most places before it reaches an age of 250 to 300 years. This variety is usually mixed with other conifers, e.g. Abies mariesii, Picea jezoensis ssp. hondoensis, Larix kaempferi, Thuja standishii, Pinus parviflora, at the highest elevations Pinus pumila, and the ubiquitous Tsuga diversifolia. The most common broad-leaved trees are Betula ermanii, Sorbus commixta, Prunus nipponica, and Acer spp. at lower elevations, and Betula corylifolia near the tree limit.
Veitch fir is a relatively small tree which yields timber of low grade, mainly used for the manufacture of paper pulp. It is fairly common in cultivation, as an amenity tree in parks and gardens and in collections (arboreta).
It is known from several protected areas.
Abies veitchii ’Balatka’ Abies veitchii ’Breit’ Abies veitchii ’Den Langhen’ Abies veitchii ’Drevenack’ Abies veitchii ’Ein’ Abies veitchii ’Fritsche’ Abies veitchii ’Geelvaal’ Abies veitchii ’Gelbbunt’ Abies veitchii ’Glauca’ Abies veitchii ’Golden’ Abies veitchii ’Grama’ Abies veitchii ’Haltern’ Abies veitchii ’Hedergott’ Abies veitchii ’Hedersott’ Abies veitchii ’Hedi’ Abies veitchii ’Heine’ Abies veitchii ’Horstmann’ Abies veitchii ’Jáchymov B.’ Abies veitchii ’K2001’ Abies veitchii ’Kramer’ Abies veitchii ’Maruschka’ Abies veitchii ’Minima’ Abies veitchii ’Octandra’ Abies veitchii ’Otevenack’ Abies veitchii ’Pendula’ Abies veitchii ’Rako’ Abies veitchii ’Rumburch’ Abies veitchii ’Rumburk’ Abies veitchii ’Schneverdingen’ Abies veitchii ’Secrest’ Abies veitchii ’Syców’ Abies veitchii ’Van Dedem’s Dwarf’ Abies veitchii ’Vasti’ Abies veitchii ’Viridis’ Abies veitchii ’Vizovice’ Abies veitchii ’Westermann’ Abies veitchii ’HB. Wüstemeyer’
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