Douglas Fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii · Pinaceae · 미송
How to spot it
The decisive identifying feature is the three-pronged bract (compared to a mouse's tail and hind legs) sticking out between the cone scales.
Look
- Leaves
- Flat needles attached spirally to the twig, about 3 cm long and dark green, with white stomatal lines beneath; fragrant when rubbed.
- Fruit
- Woody cones 7.5 to 10 cm long ripen light brown; the distinctive feature is the three-pronged bracts that stick out between the scales like three tongues.
- Bark
- The bark of young twigs is smooth and gray; on old trees it becomes thick and reddish-brown with ridges and deep furrows.
Where it grows
- Native to
- Native to western North America, ranging from southeastern Alaska and British Columbia through west-central California to Mexico.
- Ecology
- Birds and small mammals eat the seeds, and grouse, deer and elk eat the foliage.