Abies chensiensis

Abies chensiensis, known as Shensi fir or Shaanxi fir, is an evergreen coniferous tree in the family Pinaceae, order Pinales, native to the mountains of central China, particularly in Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Hubei, and adjacent provinces. The species epithet chensiensis refers to Shensi, the former romanization of Shaanxi Province, where early botanical collections of the species were made. This fir inhabits montane conifer and mixed forest zones at elevations generally between 1,500 and 3,500 metres, where it grows in cool, humid conditions often alongside other conifers, bamboo thickets, and broad-leaved temperate trees. Abies chensiensis grows to a medium size for the genus, reaching 20 to 40 metres, with a narrowly pyramidal crown. The bark is greyish-brown, smooth in young trees and becoming scaly with age. The flat needles are dark green and glossy on the upper surface, with two broad whitish stomatal bands on the underside, giving the foliage a two-toned appearance when viewed from below. They are arranged in comb-like rows on lateral branchlets. Seed cones are cylindrical, erect, and brownish when mature, typically 6 to 10 centimetres long, disintegrating at maturity as is characteristic of all Abies. The species is considered a component of the diverse montane conifer forests of central China, an area important for the conservation of giant pandas and numerous other endemic species. It is used locally for timber and has potential for ornamental cultivation in temperate gardens.