Douglas Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii

About Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) 24 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is an evergreen conifer native to the coastal regions of western North America, from west-central British Columbia, Canada southward to central California. In Oregon and Washington its range is continuous from the Cascades crest west to the Pacific Ocean. In California, it is found in the Klamath and Coast Ranges as far south as the Santa Cruz Mountains, and in the Sierra Nevada as far south as the Yosemite region. It occurs from near sea level along the coast to 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Sierra Nevada. Further inland it is replaced by the related Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca). The specific name, menziesii, is after Archibald Menzies, a Scottish physician and rival naturalist to David Douglas, who first documented the tree on Vancouver Island in 1791. Coast Douglas-fir is the second-tallest conifer in the world (after Coast Redwood). Trees 60-75 meters (200-250 feet) or more in height and 1.5-2 meters (4.9-6.6 feet) in diameter are common in old growth stands, and maximum heights of 100-120 meters (330-390 feet) and diameters up to 4.5-6 meters (15-20 feet) have been documented. The tallest living specimen is the "Doerner Fir", (previously known as the Brummit fir), 99.4 meter tall, at East Fork Brummit Creek in Coos County, Oregon, the stoutest is the "Queets Fir", 4.85 meter diameter, in the Queets River valley, Olympic National Park, Washington. It commonly lives more than 500 years and occasionally more than 1,000 years. Douglas Fir is commercially important for lumber. Due to its size it is not frequently used in residential gardens.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Tree

Size

40 - 246.1 ft tall

Form

Pyramidal, Upright

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 67 confirmed

, 23 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Pine White Neophasia menapiaNeophasia menapia

Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalusHyalophora euryalus

Brown-lined Looper Neoalcis californiariaNeoalcis californiaria

Speckled Green Fruitworm Moth Orthosia hibisciOrthosia hibisci

Western Bruce Spanworm Operophtera occidentalisOperophtera occidentalis

Red Girdle Moth Caripeta aequaliariaCaripeta aequaliaria

Brown Woodling Egira perlubensEgira perlubens

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture

Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / week once established

Nurseries

Carried by 24

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 5° F

Soil Drainage

Medium

Soil Description

Prefers rich, forest soil with well-decomposed organic component derived from decaying wood. For garden purposes add redwood compost to soil mix.. Soil PH: 4.0 - 6.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Deer Resistant, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants

This tree can get very large so provide it with plenty of room. Use with compatible forest plants such as Rocky Mountain Maple (Acer glabrum), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos canescens or nevadensis), Oregon Grape (Berberis sp.), and Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor)

Maintenance

Prune in winter when wood boring insects are less active.

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: 3-6 wks. stratification. No treatment may give satisfactory germination (USDA Forest Service 1974). Extended stratification lowers optimal germinatino termparture and germination may occur in refrigerator.

Natural Setting

Site Type

Forests of the Pacific Northwest

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 5.2" - 154.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.20" - 6.04", Coldest Month: 10.8" - 54.1", Hottest Month: 34.1" - 80.8", Humidity: 0.01" - 25.82", Elevation: 9" - 14090"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Common Names: Brummit Fir, Douglas-fir

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Douglas Fir

Pseudotsuga menziesii

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Douglas FirPseudotsuga menziesii

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Douglas Fir

Pseudotsuga menziesii