Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Mirb.) Franco (Beissn.) Franco
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir
Pinaceae (Pine family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir
Pinaceae (Pine family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
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Map
Distribution of Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend
Introduction
This is a tall evergreen coniferous species of tree that is common in British Columbia.
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Species Information
General:
Tree up to 70 (occasionally to 90) m tall; rounded to flattened crown when older, young trees with pyramidal crown; bark very thick, rough, dark brown.
Leaves:
Needles (1.5) 2-3 (3.5) cm long, spreading around twig or turned upward, obtuse to abruptly sharp-pointed tip; color varies from yellow-green to dark-green in var. menziesii to blue-green in var. glauca, lower surface with two longitudinal bands of white stomata.
Cones:
Seed cones drooping, yellowish- to purplish-green when young, turning reddish-brown, soon deciduous; 6-10 cm long in var. menziesii, 4-7 cm in var. glauca; scales with 3-lobed tip, the centre one the longest; pollen cones yellow to reddish, 6-10 mm long.
Notes:
Two varieties are recognized in BC:
1. Cones mostly 6-10 cm long, the bracts straight and appressed toward the cone tip; leaves deep (yellowish) green; primarily coastal.................. var. menziesii (coast Douglas-fir)
1. Cones mostly 4-7 cm long, the bracts appressed to spreading or reflexed; leaves more bluish-green; primarily interior................. var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco (Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir)
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Mid Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
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|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1002 | 280 | 2854 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
27 | 0 | 244 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
243 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
1488 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(38), ESSF(51), ICH(342), IDF(673), MS(184), PP(69), SBS(2) | ||
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Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
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Habitat and Range
Moist to dry slopes, river terraces and flats in the lowland and montane zones; common in S BC, infrequent northward to C BC; E to SW AB and S to CA and MX.Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Pseudotsuga flahaultii Flous
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. flahaultii (Flous) Silba
Pseudotsuga taxifolia var. glauca (Beissn.) Sudworth