Appearance

Appearance

Its purple seed cones stand upright, then break apart as they mature.

Growth form

This evergreen fir becomes a tall, narrow tree. Young bark is pale gray and fairly smooth.

Leaves

Flat green needles line the twig and show two pale bands underneath. Their tips are usually shallowly notched.

Look-alikes

Korean firAbies koreana

Korean fir (Abies koreana) often shows purple cones with small bract tips sticking out and bending back. Khingan fir usually hides those tips. The traits overlap, so a foliage photo alone may not settle the identification.

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• cool mountain forests in East Asia
• tree collections

Range

It is native to northeastern Asia, including Korea. It is grown in U.S. botanical collections but is not native to the United States.

Preferred conditions

In its home range, it grows on well-drained mountain slopes with cool summers and cold, snowy winters.

Life cycle

Reproduction

The upright cones release winged seeds as their scales come apart.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

LCLeast Concern·Low risk of extinction

Status

In South Korea, local declines have been linked to warming and drought.