Spanish fir
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Spanish firs ( Abies pinsapo ) in the Sierra de las Nieves |
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The Spanish fir ( Abies pinsapo ), also known as the hedgehog fir or the Pinsapo fir , is a species of the pine family (Pinaceae). It occurs only in southern Spain and Morocco . The maximum age of single copies is 250 to 300 years.
description
Appearance
The Spanish fir grows as an evergreen tree that reaches heights of 25 to 30 meters and a diameter of 1 to 1.5 meters at chest height . In trees that grow protected in stands, the trunk is straight and columnar with a circular cross-section, but often twisted and forked in the upper trunk area. In unprotected trees, the trunk can take on very irregular shapes and can also be curved or twosome . The long branches of the first order are usually in triple whorls and bend down in the lower trunk area and up in the crown area. The branches of the second order, which are densely arranged in triple whorls, descend horizontally or ascendingly. All branches have strong and very hard twigs. The treetop starts deeply on the trunk and can also reach the ground in free-standing trees. It is narrow and conical in young trees, while in older trees it is pyramidal or irregular in shape and more or less dense. There are often stem-borne shoots .
Buds and needles
The ovoid-spherical buds are not very resinous. They are light reddish brown to purple-brown in color and are between 5 and 6 millimeters long and between 4 and 4.5 millimeters thick. The triangular and keeled bud scales are free at the top. The blunt winter buds are 3 to 4 millimeters long and are strong solidifying.
The relatively rigid, non-piercing needles are arranged in a spiral on the branches. They are radial to more or less comb-like on the side shoots and are usually bent back on the top of the shoots. With a length of 0.6 to 2 centimeters and a width of 2 to 3 millimeters, they are linear-tongue-shaped and have a round or flattened, square cross-section. The needles in the upper part of the crown usually remain shorter than those in the lower part of the crown. The base of the needles can be twisted a little and the needle point is blunt to pointed to pointed. The upper side of the needle is dark green, greyish green and blue-green to glaucoma , and the underside of the needle is silvery white. On the top of the needle there are several rows of stomas , while on the keeled bottom of the needle there are two white rows of stomas, separated by a central rib. The needles stay on the tree for up to 13 or 15 years before falling off. The seedlings have (five to eight cotyledons cotyledons ).
Flowers, cones and seeds
The Spanish fir is single-sexed ( monoecious ) and becomes manable at 25 to 35 years of age. The flowering period includes the months of April and May. The relatively large, egg-shaped male cones are 5 to 7 millimeters long and around 4 millimeters thick. They are initially green and yellowish in color at flowering time and have red, purple or purple colored microsporophylls . After the pollen is released, they turn brown. They are mainly found in the lower part of the crown. There they are arranged in groups on the sides of shoots. The sessile female cones stand upright and are initially green, but later turn brownish green. They are mainly found in the upper crown area.
The cylindrically shaped, blunt, but mostly wart-shaped cones are 9 to 18 centimeters long and 3 to 5 centimeters thick and stand on a short stem. They are initially greenish purple, and when they are ripe in September to October, they are light to dark brown in color. They are mainly found in the upper crown area, where they arise from the female cones. The 1 to 1.3 centimeter long cover scales are hidden under the 2.5 to 2.8 centimeters long and 2.2 to 2.5 centimeters wide seed scales. The somewhat grooved but smooth seed scales are triangular, goblet-like to wedge-like fan-shaped with a long-stalked base and a wavy and slightly bent back tip. Unprotected areas of the seed scales are hairy yellow. The elongated cover scales have an inverted heart-shaped tip with a small tip. The almost conical, purple-brown cone spindle remains on the branch even after the ripe seeds have been released from October and the seed scales have fallen off. Eight to nine cones weigh around 1 kilogram and contain around 250 grams of seeds.
The light brown, with a length of 6 to 10 millimeters obovate to oblong-wedge-shaped to triangular seeds have a light brown oblong-wedge-shaped wing, which can be 13 to 20 millimeters up to twice as long as the seeds and around 10 millimeters wide is. The thousand grain weight is between 45 and 67 grams.
Bark and roots
The white to dark gray bark is smooth in young trees and becomes darker to almost black with age, rougher and tears into elongated scales. Branches initially have a reddish or greenish-brown colored bark , which turns gray over time. The large leaf scars are gray-purple.
The Spanish fir forms different root systems depending on the local conditions . For example, plants that grow on shallow and compact soils are usually found to have a long system that runs close to the surface and is formed from thick roots. On the other hand, on loose soils a strongly branched, strong taproot is formed.
Wood
Both the heartwood and the sapwood of the Spanish fir are white and cannot be distinguished from one another in terms of color. The annual rings are very well recognizable due to the light early wood and the darker late wood . Only a few rays are formed, most of which are single-row, and the pits are taxodiod, so they have oval to round openings that do not overlap the outline of the courtyard. There are no primary resin canals, but traumatic resin canals can be formed after injuries or after root adhesions with neighboring trees.
The relatively light wood has rather unfavorable mechanical properties, but is resistant to rot .
| Parameter | value | unit |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk density (r 12 ) | 339-537 | kg / m³ |
| Flexural strength | 1180-1378 | kg / cm² |
| Tensile strength perpendicular to the fiber | 19-22 | kg / cm² |
| Compressive strength | 485-525 | kg / cm² |
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.
Distribution and location
The natural distribution area of the Spanish fir includes two geographically separated occurrences in southeastern Spain and northern Morocco , which in turn are divided into five partially isolated sub- occurrences . There is a distance of about 135 kilometers between the two deposits. In Spain the actually populated distribution area covers an area of 28.7 square kilometers and is divided into three sub-occurrences, which are in the Sierra de Grazalema in the province of Cádiz as well as in the Sierra de las Nieves near Ronda , Yunquera and Tolox and the Sierra Bermeja near Cañete la Real are in the province of Malaga . The population in the Sierra de Nieves covers an area of 24 square kilometers, while the population in the Sierra de Grazalema, especially along the Sierra del Pinar , covers an area of around 4 square kilometers and in the Sierra Bermeja a population of 0.7 square kilometers grows. The 28 square kilometers and is divided into two sub deposits range in Morocco is in the western Rif Mountains and mainly includes deposits of the mountains Bouslimane , Fahs , Kharbouch , Lakraa , Sfiha Tell , Talassemtane and Taloussisse and isolated from the other deposits on the southwest of Tetouan located Mount Tazaot .
The Spanish fir is a plant species of the montane and humid , Mediterranean climate , with its natural locations in winter and spring also being influenced by the Atlantic climate . It occurs in Spain at altitudes from 900 to 2000 meters and in Morocco at altitudes from 1400 to 2100 meters, whereby it thrives optimally at altitudes between 1400 and 1800 meters. The annual amount of precipitation is about 1000 mm to 1500 mm, depending on the location, but can also be 1900 or more than 2000 mm. Most of the precipitation falls in the cold and humid winter with extreme temperatures of up to −8 ° C, which is offset by a warm and dry summer with temperatures of up to +36 ° C.
The species predominantly colonizes soils that have formed from dolomitic limestone , peridotite or serpentinite , but does not make high demands on the populated soils and therefore grows easily on other substrates. Moist and shady locations are preferred. In Spain it mainly grows on steep and exposed north and north-east slopes, while in Morocco plateaus and flat valleys are populated. The Spanish fir is mesothermal and sub-hydrophilic, but more resistant to drought and needs more light than other Mediterranean fir species. A wind exposure and snow are tolerated.
ecology
Multiplication and growth
With the Spanish fir there is a varying degree of cones every year; this means that each tree can carry up to eight kilograms or less than one kilogram of cones. Eight to nine cones contain about 250 grams of seeds and one kilogram of seeds contains 15,000 to 22,000 seeds. Around 90 percent of the seeds are also germinable, but the actual germination rate is usually below 50 percent due to the delayed development of a seedling and an endogenous dormancy . The seeds are sensitive to prolonged low temperatures and germinate in the next spring after the last winter frosts. When sown, they sprout after 10 to 30 days, provided they have previously been statified , i.e. exposed to cold, otherwise germination can be considerably delayed.
Although Spanish fir stands are at constant risk of forest fires, ground fires are important for natural regeneration as they eliminate competing plants such as shrubs and grasses. Grazing by different animal species plays a similarly important role in natural regeneration. In order for the young plants to assert themselves, however, they need shady locations and, above all, a few rainy years after budding or planting. Was selected as the Spanish fir still used in forestry, the stocks were in a Umtrieb of 100 to 120 years and an annual timber yield cultivated by one to four cubic meters. In the Sierra de Grazalema and Sierra de las Nieves , a forestry inventory found an average stand area of more than 50 square meters per hectare.
Socialization
The Spanish fir forms xerophytic forest communities that are adapted to the Mediterranean drought. Mixed forests are mainly formed with maples ( Acer ) and oaks ( Qucerus ), occasionally also pines ( Pinus ), but there are also pure fir forests. Basically, the forest communities differ somewhat in their exact structure in Spain and Morocco.
Mixed oak and fir forests are found in Spain below 1100 meters above sea level, above which there are rather dense, pure stands. In these mixed forests you will find the Portuguese oak ( Quercus faginea ) and the holm oak ( Quercus ilex ) while the bush layer is mainly made up of the laurel daphne ( Daphne laureola ), the common ivy ( Hedera helix ), the smelly hellebore ( Helleborus foetidus ) as well as the stinging butcher's broom ( Ruscus aculeatus ) and the foul-smelling iris ( Iris foetidissima ) and the burdock madder ( Rubia peregrina ) occur in the herb layer . In the forest areas offered, the white rockrose ( Cistus albidus ), the single hawthorn ( Crataegus monogyna ), Bupleurum gibraltarium , Bupleurum spinosum , the blackthorn ( Prunus spinosa ) and the thorny stone herb ( Ptilotrichum spinosum ) appear as associated species. In the Sierra Bermeja, the Spanish fir forms forest communities with the cork oak ( Quercus suber ) and other conifer species such as the Aleppo pine ( Pinus halepensis ) and the maritime pine ( Pinus pinaster ). In this region the undergrowth consists mainly of Bunium macuca , Cerastium gibraltaricum , the poplar-leaved rockrose ( Cistus populifolius ), Erica terminalis , Genista hirsuta and Genista triacanthos .
In Morocco you can find mixed forests of maple, oak and fir at altitudes between 1400 and 1800 meters. In these forests, besides the Spanish fir, the Granada maple ( Acer granatense ), the Portuguese oak ( Quercus faginea ), the holm oak ( Quercus ilex ), Quercus lusitanica and the Algerian oak ( Quercus canariensis ), the European holly ( Ilex aquifolium ), and the European yew ( Taxus baccata ) as tree species. The red foxglove ( Digitalis purpurea ), palisade spurge ( Euphorbia characias ), Hedera maroccana and Paeonia coriacea grow on the forest floor of these forests . In the higher altitudes of up to 2000 meters, conifers such as the Atlas cedar ( Cedrus atlantica ), the black pine ( Pinus nigra ) and the maritime pine ( Pinus pinaster ) dominate the forest. At altitudes above 2000 meters, shrub-like growing species such as Berberis hispanica , Bupleurum spinosum , Crataegus laciniata , Rosa micrantha , the Mediterranean blackberry ( Rubus ulmifolius ) and the laurel-leaved viburnum ( Viburnum tinus ) occur as associated species.
Diseases and pests
The Spanish fir is attacked by both fungi and animal pests. Diseases and pests occur mainly after drought and have increased over the past 15 years.
Dogged
Damage caused by browsing can take on greater proportions, although browsing damage caused by livestock at least rarely occurs.
Harmful fungi
Various types of fungus occur as pests in the natural range of the Spanish fir. Among other things, Rhizosphaera oudemansii attacks the needles. The common honey fungus ( Armillaria mellea ) causes failures in the stocks. Another harmful fungus that occurs is the root sponge ( Heterobasidion annosum ).
Insect pests
Various types of bark beetles are mainly named as pests , of which Pityophthorus pinsapo probably only lives on the Spanish fir. Other bark beetles such as Cryphalus numidicus , Crypturgus mediterraneus , Crypturgus numidicus and the striped timber bark beetle ( Trypodendron lineatum ) also infest other Mediterranean conifer species. An infestation with Cryphalus numidicus is particularly severe, as this species damages the trunk and branches and often leads to the death of the entire tree. The caterpillars of the borer Dioryctria aulloi eat the vegetative buds in the first generation, which leads to an adventitious formation of sprouts, and in the second generation they feed on the cones.
The scale insect Chionaspis barbeyi and the European silver fir woolly aphid ( Mindarus abietinus ) suck on the bark.
Abiotic harmful factors
The most important abiotic damaging factor is forest fires, as a result of which a forest area of 566 hectares has been destroyed in Spain alone in the last 45 years. Although the Spanish fir needs these fires for natural regeneration as they contain competing species, it is not adapted to forest fires. Trees do not sprout again after a fire, and the seeds do not survive the fire and cannot survive long enough in the ground to germinate after a fire.
In the 1990s, increased tree mortality was observed, which can probably be explained by a general rise in temperature with a simultaneous decrease in precipitation and the associated stressful situation for the trees.
Systematics
Taxonomic classification
The Spanish fir is assigned within the genus of firs ( Abies ) as one of only two species of the Piceaster section . In addition to the Spanish fir, the Numidian fir ( Abies numidica ) also belongs to this section. Both species show the needles arranged in a spiral on the branches, which are typical for this section.
It was first described in 1838 by Pierre Edmond Boissier under the name Abies pinsapo , which is still valid today, in Bibliothèque Universelle de Genève 13, p. 406. Synonyms for Abies pinsapo Boiss. include Abies hispanica Chambray , Abies pinsapo subsp. euhispanica (Boiss.) Maire , Picea pinsapo (Boiss.) Loudon , Pinus pinsapo (Boiss.) Antoine and Pinus sapo d'Ounous .
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.
Intraspecies variance
Of Abies pinsapo three varieties can be distinguished:
- Abies pinsapo Boiss. var. pinsapo ( Syn .: Picea pinsapo (Boiss.) Loudon , Abies hispanica Chambray , Pinus pinsapo (Boiss.) Antoine , Pinus sapo d'Ounous , Abies pinsapo var. hispanica (Chambray) H.Christ , Abies pinsapo subsp. eupinsapo Maire nom inval., Abies pinsapo subsp. Hispanica (Chambray) Maire ): It is native to Spain.
- Abies pinsapo Boiss. var. marocana (Trot.) Ceballos & Bolaño (Syn .: Abies marocana Trot. ): It is native to Morocco .
- Abies pinsapo Boiss. var. tazaotana (S.Cozar ex Villar) Pourtet (Syn .: Abies tazaotana S.Cozar ex Villar , Abies pinsapo subsp. tazaotana (S.Cozar ex Villar) R.Govaerts ): It comes only in the Rif Mountains at Mt. Tazaot before. Some authors call it Abies pinsapo subsp. marocana posed.
hybrid
Abies × insignis Carrière ex Bailly is a naturally occurring hybrid between the Spanish fir and the Nordmann fir ( Abies nordmanniana ). The hybrid Abies × masjoanii was created through a targeted crossing of the Spanish fir with the silver fir ( Abies alba ) and is used as an ornamental wood in parks and gardens.
use
Due to the small area, the Spanish fir is of no importance for forestry. Around 1900 the Spanish fir was still being cultivated for 100 to 120 years, the wood yields were 1 to 4 meters 3 per hectare and year. The mechanical properties of the wood are not very favorable. Because of its resistance to rot, it was used for pillars and railroad ties. Today the management takes place with the aim of the conservation of the species. The Pinsapo forests are also the habitat of the southern subspecies ( Capra pyrenaica hispanica ) of the Iberian ibex .
Due to its characteristic needling, the species is a popular ornamental wood. The variety 'glauca' dominates in this function.
Hazard and protection
The Spanish fir is in the red list of the IUCN out 'at risk' for the 2011th Both the var. Pinsapo and the var. Marocana are both listed as "endangered". The total population of the species is seen as declining, only the population of var. Pinsapo is increasing. The decrease in stocks is mainly due to forest fires but also due to droughts and the associated pest infestation. Pests and diseases occur more frequently in reforested forests. In Morocco, deforestation to gain space for hemp cultivation and the associated soil erosion pose a risk. The total population of the species in Morocco declined by 70 percent between 1938 and 1994 due to deforestation and forest fires. The population increase in Spain is mainly taking place in higher elevations and is the result of reforestation measures. There are now just under a million sexually mature trees in Spain. Lower-lying stands are still declining, for example in the last 45 years around 566 hectares of forest area have been lost to fires. Another problem is the fragmented distribution area of the Spanish fir, as there is hardly any genetic exchange between the individual stands, which in turn means that the genetic diversity is very low, which leads to susceptibility to diseases.
The majority of the stocks are now located within protected areas, which have been part of the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean by UNESCO since 2006 . The var. Pinsapo is protected throughout Europe by Directive 92/43 / EEC (Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive) and also by Spanish law 104/94, which provides for a plan for the conservation of the species that is currently in the development phase . The forests in the Sierra de Grazalema have been part of the Network of Protectet Areas in Andalusia since 1984 and those in the Sierra de las Nieves and Sierra Bermeja have been part of the Network of Protectet Areas in Andalusia since 1989 . In the course of a conservation program, species conservation measures are carried out in Spain, which include, for example, the containment of forest fires, reforestation and the protection of young trees from browsing. In Morocco, the 600 square kilometer Talassemtane National Park was established to protect the species.
swell
- José Pardos, Marta Pardos: Abies pinsapo . In: Peter Schütt, Horst Weisgerber, Hans J. Schuck, Ulla Lang, Bernd Stimm, Andreas Roloff: Lexicon of Conifers. Distribution - Description - Ecology - Use; the great encyclopedia . Nikol, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-933203-80-5 , p. 69-76 .
- Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers . tape 1 . Brill, Leiden-Boston 2010, ISBN 978-90-04-17718-5 , pp. 115-116 .
- Christopher J. Earle: Abies pinsapo. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, December 29, 2017, accessed January 9, 2018 (English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Peter Schönfelder, Ingrid Schönfelder: The new cosmos of the Mediterranean flora. Over 1600 species and 1600 photos (= KosmosNaturführer ). Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-440-10742-3 , pp. 62 .
- ^ José Pardos, Marta Pardos: Abies pinsapo . In: Peter Schütt, Horst Weisgerber, Hans J. Schuck, Ulla Lang, Bernd Stimm, Andreas Roloff: Lexicon of Conifers. Distribution - Description - Ecology - Use; the great encyclopedia . Nikol, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-933203-80-5 , p. 69 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers . tape 1 . Brill, Leiden-Boston 2010, ISBN 978-90-04-17718-5 , pp. 115 .
- ↑ a b c d e f José Pardos, Marta Pardos: Abies pinsapo . In: Peter Schütt, Horst Weisgerber, Hans J. Schuck, Ulla Lang, Bernd Stimm, Andreas Roloff: Lexicon of Conifers. Distribution - Description - Ecology - Use; the great encyclopedia . Nikol, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-933203-80-5 , p. 70 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Christopher J. Earle: Abies pinsapo. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, December 29, 2017, accessed January 9, 2018 (English).
- ↑ a b c d e f g José Pardos, Marta Pardos: Abies pinsapo . In: Peter Schütt, Horst Weisgerber, Hans J. Schuck, Ulla Lang, Bernd Stimm, Andreas Roloff: Lexicon of Conifers. Distribution - Description - Ecology - Use; the great encyclopedia . Nikol, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-933203-80-5 , p. 72 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Abies pinsapo . Var pinsapo in the endangered species Red List of IUCN 2017. Submitted By: A. Arista, S. Knees & M. Gardner, 2010. Retrieved on 14 January 2018.
- ↑ a b c d e José Pardos, Marta Pardos: Abies pinsapo . In: Peter Schütt, Horst Weisgerber, Hans J. Schuck, Ulla Lang, Bernd Stimm, Andreas Roloff: Lexicon of Conifers. Distribution - Description - Ecology - Use; the great encyclopedia . Nikol, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-933203-80-5 , p. 75 .
- ↑ a b c Abies pinsapo at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed January 9, 2018.
- ↑ a b c d e f Abies pinsapo in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2017. Posted by: A. Arista, ML Alaoui, p Knees & M. Gardner, 2010. Accessed January 14, 2018th
- ↑ a b c d Abies pinsapo var. Marocana in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2017. Posted by: ML Alaoui, p Knees & M. Gardner, 2010. Retrieved on January 14, 2018.
- ↑ a b c José Pardos, Marta Pardos: Abies pinsapo . In: Peter Schütt, Horst Weisgerber, Hans J. Schuck, Ulla Lang, Bernd Stimm, Andreas Roloff: Lexicon of Conifers. Distribution - Description - Ecology - Use; the great encyclopedia . Nikol, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-933203-80-5 , p. 74 .
- ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Abies pinsapo. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- ↑ Abies pinsapo Boiss 'Glauca' ( Memento of February 3, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
Web links
- Abies pinsapo in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Conifer Specialist Group, 1998. Retrieved on 11 May, 2006.
- Thomas Meyer: Data sheet with identification key and photos at Flora-de: Flora von Deutschland (old name of the website: Flowers in Swabia )