Plants › pine family
balsam fir
Abies balsamea
28 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Easily confused with
eastern hemlockTsuga canadensis
white sprucePicea glauca
Canada yewTaxus canadensis
Fraser firAbies fraseri
black sprucePicea mariana
red sprucePicea rubens
Douglas-firPseudotsuga menziesii
Norway sprucePicea abies
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| Canada | 23,338 |
|---|---|
| United States | 22,043 |
| Ontario | 8,220 |
| Nova Scotia | 8,150 |
| New Hampshire | 6,088 |
| Quebec | 3,546 |
| Maine | 3,224 |
| Michigan | 3,167 |
| Vermont | 2,831 |
| Minnesota | 2,002 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Group and habits
- Medicinal useListed as having medicinal use by a harvested source. This is not medical advice.Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species
- Material useListed as being used for materials such as wood, fiber, resin, gum, or oil.Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species
- Restoration or landscaping useListed as being used for restoration, landscaping, ornamental planting, erosion control, soil improvement, shade, windbreaks, pollution indicators, or wastewater purification.Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species
- Cultural useListed as having cultural uses such as ritual, religious, psychoactive, contraceptive, abortifacient, smoking, or masticatory uses.Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species
- Tree growth formListed by a harvested source as having a tree growth form.USDA PLANTS Characteristics
- Wetland-associatedListed by a harvested source as obligate or frequent in wetland habitat.USDA PLANTS Characteristics
- Perennial plantListed by a harvested source as having a perennial life duration.USDA PLANTS Characteristics
Edibility, toxicity and medicinal traits are records from datasets, not advice. Never eat, handle or use a wild species on the strength of an app.
Classification
| Kingdom | Plants · Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Vascular Plants · Tracheophyta |
| Class | conifers · Pinopsida |
| Order | conifers · Pinales |
| Family | pine family · Pinaceae |
| Genus | firs · Abies |
Study it in a deck
- Conifers of Maryland
- Native Plants of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Wetland-associated Species of New Hampshire, United States
Or build your own from the species near you.
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species (CC BY 4.0)
- Traits: USDA PLANTS Characteristics (U.S. Government work / public domain)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise balsam fir with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.