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''Pseudotsuga'' is a genus of
evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...
coniferous Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All ext ...
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s in the family
Pinaceae The Pinaceae, or pine family, are conifer trees or shrubs, including many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines and spruces. The family is included in the order Pinales, formerly kn ...
(subfamily Laricoideae). Common names for species in the genus include Douglas fir, Douglas-fir, Douglas tree, Oregon pine and Bigcone spruce. '' Pseudotsuga menziesii'' (Douglas fir proper) is widespread in western North America and is an important source of timber. The number of species has long been debated, but two in western
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
and two to four in eastern
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
are commonly acknowledged. Nineteenth-century botanists had problems in classifying Douglas firs, due to the species' similarity to various other conifers better known at the time; they have at times been classified in ''
Pinus A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden ...
'', ''
Picea A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...
'', ''
Abies Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely re ...
'', ''
Tsuga ''Tsuga'' (, from Japanese (), the name of ''Tsuga sieboldii'') is a genus of conifers in the subfamily Abietoideae of Pinaceae, the pine family. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foli ...
'', and even '' Sequoia''. Because of their distinctive cones, Douglas firs were finally placed in the new genus ''Pseudotsuga'' (meaning "false hemlock") by the French botanist Carrière in 1867. The genus name has also been hyphenated as ''Pseudo-tsuga''.


Name

The tree takes its English name from David Douglas, the Scottish
botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
who first introduced '' Pseudotsuga menziesii'' into cultivation at
Scone Palace Scone Palace is a Category A-listed historic house near the village of Scone and the city of Perth, Scotland. Built in red sandstone with a castellated roof, it is an example of the Gothic Revival style in Scotland. Scone was originally the ...
in 1827.Trust Walks: "Dunkeld and The Hermitage
," a podcast by the National Trust for Scotland; 27 June 2009
Douglas is known for introducing many native American tree species to Europe. The hyphenated form "Douglas-fir" is used by some to indicate that ''Pseudotsuga'' species are not true firs, which belong to the genus ''Abies''.


Description

Douglas-firs are medium-size to extremely large
evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s, tall (although only coast Douglas-firs reach such great height). The
leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...
are flat, soft, linear, long, generally resembling those of the firs, occurring singly rather than in
fascicle Fascicle or ''fasciculus'' may refer to: Anatomy and histology * Muscle fascicle, a bundle of skeletal muscle fibers * Nerve fascicle, a bundle of axons (nerve fibers) ** Superior longitudinal fasciculus *** Arcuate fasciculus ** Gracile fasc ...
s; they completely encircle the branches, which can be useful in recognizing the species. The female cones are pendulous, with persistent scales (unlike true firs), and are distinctive in having a long tridentine (three-pointed)
bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...
that protrudes prominently above each scale (it resembles the back half of a mouse, with two feet and a tail). ''Pseudotsuga menziesii'' var. ''menziesii'' has attained heights of 393 feet (120* m). That was the estimated height of the tallest conifer ever well-documented, the Mineral Tree ( Mineral, Washington), measured in 1924 by Dr. Richard E. McArdle, former chief of the U.S. Forest Service. The volume of that tree was . The tallest living individual is the Brummitt (Doerner) Fir in
Coos County, Oregon Coos County ( ) is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,929. The county seat is Coquille. The county was formed from the western parts of Umpqua and Jackson counties. It is named ...
, tall.Gymnosperm Database: ''Pseudotsuga menziesii'' var. ''menziesii'' (2006)
/ref> Only
coast redwood ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...
and '' Eucalyptus regnans'' reach greater heights based on current knowledge of living trees: 379 and 331 feet (116 and 101* m), respectively. At Quinault, Washington, is found a collection of the largest Douglas-firs in one area. Quinault Rain Forest hosts the most of the top ten known largest Douglas-firs. , the largest known Douglas-firs in the world are, by volume: # Red Creek Tree (Red Creek, SW British Columbia) # Queets Fir (Queets River Valley-Olympic National Park) # Tichipawa (Quinault Lake Rain Forest-Olympic National Park) # Rex (Quinault Lake Rain Forest-Olympic National Park) # Ol' Jed (Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park)


Species and varieties

By far the best-known is the very widespread and abundant
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
n species '' Pseudotsuga menziesii'', a taxonomically complex species divided into two major varieties (treated as distinct
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
or
subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...
by some botanists): coast Douglas-fir or "green Douglas-fir", on the
Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
coast; and Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir or "interior Douglas-fir", in the interior west of the continent. According to some botanists, Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir extends south into Mexico to include all
Mexican Douglas-fir ''Pseudotsuga menziesii var. lindleyana'', commonly known as the Mexican Douglas-fir, is a conifer in the genus '' Pseudotsuga'' that is endemic to Mexico. DNA sequence and morphological evidence suggests it is most closely related to Rocky Mou ...
populations, whereas others have proposed multiple separate species in Mexico and multiple varieties in the United States. Morphological and genetic evidence suggest that Mexican Douglas-fir should probably be considered a distinct variety within ''P. menziesii''. All of the other species are of restricted range and little-known outside of their respective native environments, where they are often rare and of scattered occurrence in mixed forests; all those have unfavorable
conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation ...
. The taxonomy of the Asian Douglas-firs continues to be disputed, but the most recent taxonomic treatment accepts four species: three Chinese and one Japanese. The three Chinese species have been variously considered varieties of ''P. sinensis'' or broken down into additional species and varieties. In the current treatment, the Chinese species ''P. sinensis'' is further subdivided into two varieties: var. ''sinensis'' and var. ''wilsoniana''.


North America

* '' Pseudotsuga macrocarpa'' ( Vasey) Mayr – bigcone Douglas-fir - southern California * '' Pseudotsuga menziesii'' ( Mirb.) Franco - western
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
from
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...
to
Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the Federative Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 570 municipaliti ...
** ''Pseudotsuga menziesii'' var. ''menziesii'' – coast Douglas-fir ** ''Pseudotsuga menziesii'' var. ''glauca'' ( Beissn.) Franco – Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir ** '' Pseudotsuga menziesii var. lindleyana'' ( Roezl) Carrière – Mexican Douglas-fir


Asia

* '' Pseudotsuga brevifolia'' W.C.Cheng & L.K.Fu – short-leaf Chinese Douglas-fir * '' Pseudotsuga forrestii'' Craib – Yunnan Douglas-fir * ''
Pseudotsuga japonica ''Pseudotsuga japonica'', the Japanese Douglas-fir, is a species of conifer in the pine family, Pinaceae, that is endemic to Japan. It is a medium-sized tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated Plant stem, stem, or ...
'' ( Shiras.) Beissn. – Japanese Douglas-fir * ''
Pseudotsuga sinensis ''Pseudotsuga sinensis'' (Chinese Douglas-fir; in Chinese 黃杉, pinyin romanization: huáng shān) is a species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as ...
'' Dode – Chinese Douglas-fir ** ''Pseudotsuga sinensis'' var. ''sinensis'' ** ''Pseudotsuga sinensis'' var. ''wilsoniana'' – Taiwan Douglas-fir ** ''Pseudotsuga sinensis'' var. ''gaussenii ''


Formerly placed in ''Pseudotsuga''

* ''
Keteleeria davidiana ''Keteleeria davidiana'' ( zh: 铁坚油杉) is a coniferous evergreen tree native to Taiwan and southeast China, in the provinces of Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan. It also occurs in the very northern part ...
'' (Bertrand) Beissn. (as ''P. davidiana'' Bertrand) * '' Cathaya argyrophylla'' (as ''P. argyrophylla)'' * ''
Keteleeria fortunei ''Keteleeria fortunei'' ( zh: 油杉, ''you shan'') is a coniferous evergreen tree. Originated in China, ''K. fortunei'' is an ancient relict species and a second-class national key protected plant, "mainly distributed in south subtropical to th ...
'' (as ''P. fortunei)'' * '' Abies magnifica'' (as ''P. magnifica)'' * '' Abies procera'' (as ''P. nobilis)''


Uses

Douglas-fir
wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
is used for structural applications that are required to withstand high loads. It is used extensively in the construction industry. Other examples include its use for homebuilt
aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or by using the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in ...
such as the RJ.03 IBIS canard. Very often, these aircraft were designed to utilize
Sitka spruce ''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to almost tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-lar ...
, which is becoming increasingly difficult to source in aviation quality grades. Oregon pine is also used in
boat building Boat building is the design and construction of boats and their systems. This includes at a minimum a hull (watercraft), hull, with propulsion, mechanical, navigation, safety and other systems as a craft requires. Construction materials and met ...
when it is available in long, fairly
knot A knot is an intentional complication in cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including hitches, bends, loop knots, and splices: a ''hitch'' fastens a rope to another object; a ...
-free lengths. Most timber now comes from plantation forests in North America which are managed to produce faster growing timber with fewer knots. This timber is generally lighter but weaker. Traditionally, Oregon pine was used in
mast Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to: Engineering * Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship * Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag * Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires * Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship * Radio mas ...
building due to its ability to resist bending loads without fracturing. This was based on using older native forest wood with a high number of growth rings per inch. This sort of wood is seldom available new but can be sourced from merchants dealing in recycled timber. Native Oregon pine is considerably heavier than
Sitka spruce ''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to almost tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-lar ...
, which is about the same weight as
western red cedar ''Thuja plicata'' is an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to western North America. Its common name is western redcedar (western red cedar in the UK), and it is also called Pacific redcedar, giant arborvitae ...
, but with far better bending characteristics than cedar. Large-sized Oregon pine, as used in beams, is inclined to split as it dries, like oak, but this does not reduce its strength. Douglas-fir is one of the most commonly marketed
Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...
species in the United States, where they are sold alongside firs like noble fir and grand fir. Douglas-fir Christmas trees are usually trimmed to a near perfect cone instead of left to grow naturally like noble and grand firs.


Pests and diseases

Douglas-firs are used as food plants by the
larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...
e of some
Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...
species, including autumnal moth, bordered white, engrailed moth, pine beauty and turnip moth. The gelechiids ''
Chionodes abella ''Chionodes abella'' is a moth in the family Gelechiidae. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from Idaho and south-western British Columbia to Colorado, Texas and California. The wingspan is about 15 mm. The forewings ...
'' and '' Chionodes periculella'' and the
tortrix moth The Tortricidae are a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths or leafroller moths, in the order Lepidoptera. This large family has over 11,000 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea, although the genus ...
''
Cydia illutana __NOTOC__ ''Cydia illutana'' is a small moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found from western and central Europe (Great Britain, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany and France), north to Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland) and e ...
'' have been specifically recorded on ''P. menziesii''.


Culture

A California Native American myth explains that each three-ended bract is the tail and two tiny legs of a
mouse A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...
that hid inside the scales of the tree's cones during forest fires, and the tree was kind enough to be its enduring sanctuary. A Douglas-fir species, '' Pseudotsuga menziesii'', is the
state tree This is a list of U.S. state, federal district, and territory trees, including official trees of the following of the states, of the federal district, and of the territories. Table See also * List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insign ...
of
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
.


References


External links


Gymnosperm Database - ''Pseudotsuga''


{{Taxonbar, from=Q158771 Conifer genera Forestry in Canada Forestry in the United States Taxa named by Élie-Abel Carrière