long ago ... mine was IDd.. here as Abies lasiocarpa 'Compacta'

ken

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the info. Problem is, I have one of those already (i.e., 'Glauca Compacta'), and this one looks nothing like it.

Thanks,

Josh

how about a pic of the second .... that name you give is not the greatest ... old school ...

ken

Hi Ken,

Yeah, maybe the shorter name is better. Either way, here's a pic of it:

Plants labeled Abies magnifica 'Nana' at an independent garden center here are quite like A. lasiocarpa 'Compacta' except without the silver banding, making them inferior. At one point the two items were even being displayed mixed together, an employee doing stocking apparently not noticing the labeling differences. It really was remarkable how interchangeable they were - same size, habit, everything - except for the one kind being silvery.

Maybe the buds or surfaces of the shoots were a little different, or fine structural details of the foliage could be found to separate them. But the two selections belonging to two distinctly different species seems very unlikely.

And you wouldn't expect that there would be any genuine red fir cultivars in general commerce - the species is infrequently successful outside of its native area.

bought as Abies lasiocarpa [var. arizonica] 'Compacta' ... the var part in parens... because hear i was told it was superfluous ... ken

and here is what was sold as magnifica in fall near bald cypress ... imo.. much slower annual growth rate .... ken

Hi Ken and Embothrium,

Thanks for the input. Yes, Ken, your A. lasiocarpa 'Compacta' looks pretty much like mine.

As for the "A. magnifica', yeah, I'm still unsure. It does seem like lasiocarpa in many respects, but some features seem different. Needle length seems much longer, for one, than any lasiocarpa I have or have seen. Also seem more radially oriented than lasiocarpa. But who knows?

For what it's worth, RHS Encylopedia of Conifers has several good pictures of A. magnifica 'Nana'. Would be great to visit those plants and compare personally!

Thanks,

Josh