Hoyt Arboretum, Portland, Oregon, USA

Common name: Pacific silver fir

Family: Pinaceae

Distribution: West Coast N. America

Habitat: Cascade Mountains of Washington and Oregon, coast ranges from Vancouver Island to Oregon

IUCN Red list: Least concern

Hardiness: Zone 5a -20 to -15 F

Life form: Evergreen conifer

Comments: In western Oregon and Washington, this species grows at elevations above 600 m (2000 ft.) It grows in mixed woods with other conifers and sometimes in pure stands. It often grows near the timberline, sometimes mixed with Subalpine Fir and Mountain Hemlock. Pacific Silver Fir has needles similar to Grand Fir, dark green on top with two white bands of stomata below. But the needles point forward and upward rather than lying flat like Grand Fir needles.