| General Description | While Abies is widely distributed throughout North American, of all the fir trees this is the only one you’ll
find when you’re as far south as 13-14°N Latitude. But should you stumble upon it you’ll want to ensure
you’re wearing a light jacket because this fir doesn’t keep you warm, it prefers to be cool, moist, and along
seaside mountain ranges. The pollen has an intense and potent scent; The leaves have that typical soft
waxy touch that make firs so wonderfully appealing; The bark, shallow plates that range from a wonderful
black-brown on the main stem through to a reddish-brown on new branchlets. It is a species that depends
on other trees – a tree nursery – to foster ideal conditions. |
| ID Characteristic | To the naked eye, the differences between Abies guatemalensis and A. religiosa can be difficult to spot.
María René Álvarez, Curator and Researcher of the UVAL Herbarium at CEAB, points out that A.
guatemalensis has a stronger odour and is less prone to the foliage falling apart. She indicates that
laboratory analysis can become necessary to make a conclusion. The tall growing
Guatemalan Fir has a pyramidal crown, with a whorled arrangement of branches and leaves. Male cones
are up to 2.2 cm long and upwards of 3.0 cm wide, blue in appearance with an oval shape. Female cones
are upwards of 13.0 cm long and 5.0 cm wide, red to purple with a cylindrical shape. |
| Shape | Slow but tall growing, upwards of 50 m in height. The tree stem can be between 1 – 4 m at breast height,
takes a pyramidal crown shape with a spread of 10 - 15 m, with a whorled arrangement of both leaves and
limbs alike. |
| Landscape | Largely grown in plantation and nursery environments that are looking to help curb the illegal harvesting
from natural areas. International trade is illegal. Domestic trade is permitted - only when proof of purchase
from a plantation can be provided. Otherwise, this is a tree found in natural forest stands
between 1,500 m to 4,000 m, where they are often protected by conservation authorities. |
| Propagation | The Tropical Tree Seed Manual, published by USDA, contains a full chapter, Pg. 241-243, dedicated to A.
guatemalensis seed propagation. It includes instructions to ensure viability of the collected seeds is
successful. These descriptions are contained in that chapter.
Seeds are collected in alternating years. Cones are collected from November to January. Because Fir
cones tend to disintegrate when handled, they are collected when they show signs of colour change,
coinciding with the appearance of resin drops. To finish the maturation, storage is then done for 8 weeks in
shade, wrapped in burlap. Upon completion, the seeds are extracted and dried in direct sunlight for
approximately 6 hours until water content is reduced to 8 percent - this will help long-term storage. Without
any additional work, these fresh seeds will have a viability rate of approximately 15 percent. Viability can
be increased to 37 percent if they are stratified for 40 days. This stratification is completed on moist blotter
paper, at 4°c, with an application of gibberellic acid at 200 ppm. Plant these treated seeds in April and May
in shallow trays with soil rich in organics. Protect them from heavy rain and provide them full sun or 50-
percent shade. They can be transplanted into individual containers at the 4-to-6-week stage. After 2 years
they should be ready for planting. |
| Cultivation | Due to this plants Endangered Red List status, this tree is becoming common among plantations looking to
capitalize on the hot demand in the Christmas Tree market. Systems designed to deter the illegal trade are
showing signs of slowing down, though not stopping, the unethical markets. Guatemala has developed a
system of certification which guarantees to a buyer that the tree they have purchased was cultivated in a
managed environment and is free from exploitive harvesting. |
| Pests | Trees can be infested by Bark beetles (Dendroctonus spp.) – attacking the vascular system and causing
circulatory issues, necrotic branches or ultimately the tree’s death.
Seeds can be attacked by seed wasps (Megastigmus spp.) – the wasps are capable of undergoing part of
their development within the seeds contained in the cones. |
| Notable Specimens | Chichavac farm, Finca Caleras Chichavac, western Guatemala, has the largest pinabete plantation in
Guatemala with more than 100,000 trees, including a fine 40+ year old specimen. |
| Habitat | Abies guatemalensis is the southernmost member of the Abies genus. It is a high altitude, cool and humid
loving evergreen that has little ability to cope with frost. Unsurprisingly then, it’s limited latitudinal range of
14°-21° keeps it cool and moist while it remains largely above 2,000 m above sea level. These requirements
mean that seaside mountain ranges provide it unique habitats that are tailored to its requirements. It
requires a moderately acidic, well drained soil with a pH range of 5.4-5.7. The tree is associated with Pinus
ayacahuite, P. hartwegii, and Cupressus lusitanica. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Young trees have gray and smooth bark. Older trees blackish-brown bark, furrowed, divided into plates.
New branchlet growth is pubescent. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Buds are resinous, small, 5 mm in length and occur on underside of branches, appearing on previous
seasons growth in the axils of the leaves. |
| Leaf Description | Light lustrous green tops with a silvery glaucous underside. Spirally arranged, solitary, waxy, needle in
shape and are from 1.5 – 5.5 cm long by 1.2 – 2 mm wide. |
| Flower Description | Flowers appear in May and June. Male staminate strobili grow from buds of the previous
season, on the underside of the crown branches. They take on a blue appearance and have an oval shape.
These are pollen bearing and have a very distinct and strong smell. Female strobili are in-set more into the
tree, larger and denser with a red to purple appearance and cylindrical in shape. |
| Fruit Description | Unisexual strobili with the female cone being 8.5 to 13 cm long, 4.5 to 5.0 cm wide. The female cones are
red to purple in colour and oblong-cylindrical in shape. The males are 1.5 to 2.2 cm long, 2.7 to 3.0 cm wide
and blue in colour with an oval shape. |
| Colour Description | Overall, a deep rich green with hints of the silvery glaucous underside. Bark in older trees takes on the dark
brown appearance, having reddish-brown to blackish-red pubescent new growth in branchlets. |
| Texture Description | On younger trees the bark is smooth, growth of new wood is pubescent. Though the bark grows into
textured furrowed plates as the plant matures. Like other Abies, the texture is appealing with a soft leaf. |