12/21/2022
A little bit of Info about your christmas tree you may have bought from us. We may try to plant these next spring/fall. the possibilities for the tree to grow in SE KS look better than we had thought.
Species: Canaan Fir - Abies balsamea var phanerolepis
Canaan fir, also called West Virginia balsam fir, is a little known tree that is native to isolated pockets in the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia.
Some have suggested that, during the last glacial period, a continuous fir population extended from North Carolina north along the Appalachian mountain range into Canada. As the climate changed, fir in the Appalachian mountains were replaced by other species at lower elevations, isolating balsam fir to the north, Fraser fir at higher elevations in Virginia and North Carolina, and Canaan fir at higher elevations in parts of Virginia and West Virginia. The tree takes its common name from the Canaan Valley northeast of Elkins, West Virginia.
As you might expect, Canaan fir has many similarities to both Fraser and balsam fir in growth and appearance. Unfortunately, this similarity has led to a great deal of taxonomic confusion. It has been suggested that only one species of balsam fir with three varieties be recognized in the Eastern United States: Abies balsamea var. balsamea (balsam fir), Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis (Canaan fir), and Abies balsamea var. fraseri (Fraser fir). In the past, some have also promoted the classification of Canaan fir as Abies intermedia, representing a cross between Fraser and balsam fir. Neither of these systems found widespread approval and presently Canaan fir is considered a special ecotype, or variety of balsam fir, whereas Fraser fir (A. fraseri) is considered a separate species.
Canaan fir is an attractive medium-sized tree generally reaching 40-55 feet in height and 20-25 feet in width. It exhibits a relatively dense, pyramidal crown with a slender spire-like tip that often imparts a formal appearance. Foliage color is lustrous dark green to bluish green with silvery stomatic bands on the underside of the needles. Needles generally are two-ranked, ¾ -1 ½ inch long and are spreading and uncrowded on the branch. On some trees, the needles tend to be shorter and curved upwards so as to cover the upper sides of the twigs. Significant variation can occur in both tree habit and needle type.
