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Bristlecone Fir

The Abies Bracteata is commonly known as Bristlecone Fir, Santa Lucia Fir, as well as Silver Fir

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Growing Regions

Bristlecone fir is restricted to the Santa Lucia Mountains of the central California coast in Monterey County, and possibly in extreme northwestern San Luis Obispo County. The San Luis Obispo County population was not found after a fire occurred in the area [6,20].

     

General Information

The currently accepted scientific name for bristlecone fir is Abies bracteata (D. Don) Nutt., [34], the sole member of the subgenus Pseudotorreya (all other firs belong to subgenus Abies) [4]. There are conflicting views as to the proper authority assignation [5].

Bristlecone fir occurs in the mixed evergreen forest of the Santa Lucia
Range.  This foreset is consideres as (Quercus agrifolia), canyon live
oak (Q. chrysolepis), California black oak (Q. kelloggii), (Q.
wislizenii), and tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus).  Mature stands of
bristlecone fir are almost restricted to the canyon live oak phase of
the mixed evergreen forest [27].

Bristlecone fir also occurs with sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), tanoak,
Pacific ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var.  ponderosa), and
incense-cedar (Liboocedrus decurrens) [1].

Much of the information presented here is attributed to:
Sullivan, Janet. 1993. Abies bracteata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available at USDA Forest Service.

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