Douglas Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii

About Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) 29 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Douglas Fir or Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, is an evergreen conifer native to the coastal regions of western North America, from central California north through Oregon and Washington to British Columbia, Canada. In California, it is found in the Klamath Mountains and the Cascade Range, the California Coast Ranges as far south as the Santa Lucia Mountains in Monterey County, and the Sierra Nevada as far south as the Huntington Lake region in Fresno County.

In California the Douglas Fir and its variety named Coast Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) occur from near sea level along the coast to 5,900 feet (1800 m) in the Sierra Nevada. Eastward they are replaced by its variety named Rocky Mountain Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca). Its variety named Mexican Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. lindleyana) is endemic to central and northern montane Mexico.

Douglas Firs commonly live more than 500 years and occasionally more than 1,000 years. The species name, menziesii, honors Archibald Menzies, the first European botanist to document it (1791). The common name honors botanist David Douglas, who introduced it into cultivation (1827). Douglas Firs are commercially important for lumber.

Due to their robust mature size Douglas Fir trees are not frequently planted in small to mid-size residential gardens. Since they can get exceptionally large they need to be provided with plenty of space to grow above and below ground.
Douglas Firs are the second-tallest conifer species in the world after Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens). Trees 200-250 feet (60-75 meters) in height and trunks 5-6.6 feet (1.5-2 m) in diameter are common in old growth forests. Maximum heights of 330-390 feet (100-120 m) and trunk diameters of 15-20 feet (4.5-6 m) were historically documented. The "Doerner Fir" in Oregon is the tallest known currently living Douglas Fir at 326 ft. (99.4 m) tall; and the "Queets Fir" in Olympic National Park has the widest known currently living trunk at 16 ft. (4.85 m) in diameter.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Tree

Size

40 - 250 ft tall

Form

Pyramidal, Upright

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 67 confirmed

, 22 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 29

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

Use with compatible forest plants such as Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum), Vine Maple (Acer circinatum), Rocky Mountain Maple (Acer glabrum), Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos canescens, Arctostaphylos nevadensis), Oregon Grapes (Berberis aquifolium, Berberis pinnata), Coast Barberry (Berberis nervosa), 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 germination termparture and germination may occur in refrigerator.

Natural Setting

Site Type

Forests of California, the Pacific Northwest, & British Colombia

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: Douglas Spruce, Douglas-fir, False Hemlock, Red-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