Guatemalan Fir

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Abies guatemalensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Pinaceae Genus: Abies Species: A. guatemalensis
Binomial name
Abies guatemalensis Rehder

The Guatemalan Fir is a tree which grows only in high mountains, at altitudes ranging from 2500 to 4000 meters, in a range from Mexico to El Salvador and Honduras. It can be found near Cerro el Pital and Cerro Miramundo in El Salvador, but it is estimated that there are only four in that area. A larger concentration is found in the Totonicapan Forest and other forests in Guatemala.

The Guatemalan Fir has not been studied much, so there is little information available about it, but it is thought to be endangered because of it's popularity as a Christmas tree in Guatemala. If people continue cutting this tree, it is estimated that in a few years it will be extinct. Although it is illegal to sell Guatemalan Fir trees, some places have the permission to sell it for people. They can be confused with similar trees and it is estimated that 150,000 are harvested for use as Christmas trees. The Guatemalan Fir tree is often mistaken for Pinus pseudostrobus and Pinus ayacahuite, for instance, because all share the common name pinabete but the real common name of them are for pinus ayacahuite: false pinabete and for pinus pseudostrobus simple pinabete.

The Guatemalan Fir is often found growing with other trees.

• In El Salvador, it grows at altitudes between 2500 and 2730 meters. At the bottom of this range, it can be found growing with:
  • Pinus ayacahuite
  • Pinus caribaea
  • Pinus hartwegii
  • Pinus maximinoi
  • Pinus oocarpa
  • Pinus pseudostrobus
  • Pinus tecunumanii
  • Pinus rudis
  • pinus Ochoterenai
  • Cupressus lusitanica
  • Taxus globosa

• In Guatemala, at altitudes around 2700 meters, it can be found growing with:
  • Abies religiosa
  • Pinus caribaea
  • Pinus chiapensis
  • Pinus devoniana
  • Pinus hartwegii
  • Pinus maximinoi
  • Pinus montezumae
  • Pinus oocarpa
  • Pinus patula
  • Pinus pseudostrobus
  • Pinus quichensis
  • Pinus rudis
  • Pinus tecunumanii
  • Pinus tenuifolia
  • Pinus teocote
  • Pinus ochoterenai
  • Cupressus lusitanica
  • Taxus globosa
  • Some varieties of Juniperus, at altitudes from 3000 to 4000 meters

• In Honduras and Mexico, it is found with:
  • Cupressus lusitanica
  • Pinus montezumae
  • Pinus patula
  • Pinus tenuifolia
  • Pinus teocote
  • Podocarpus guatemalensis
  • Podocarpus matudae
  • some varieties of abies

[edit] Varieties

• Abies guatemalensis var. guatemalensis
• Abies guatemalensis var. jaliscana
• Abies guatemalensis var. tacanensis

[edit] Synonyms

• Abies religiosa
• Abies flinckii

[edit] References

• Abies guatemalensis at the IUCN Red List