Pacific Northwest Research Station

Title: Hybridization of a Rocky Mountain fir (Abies concolor) and a Mexican fir (Abies religiosa).

Author: St. Clair, J.B.; Critchfield, W.B.

Date: 1988

Source: Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 18: 640-643

Description: Interspecific crosses of Abies religiosa (HBK.) Schlecht. & Cham. (oyamel) with Abies concolor (Gord. & Glend.) Lindle. ex Hildebr. var. concolor (white fir) and Abies magnifica A. Murr. (California red fir) were undertaken to explore the relationships between these species. The cross with A. magnifica produced no germinable seed, but many sound seeds were produced from the cross with A. concolor. These were sown in the nursery in 1968 and outplanted in 1970. In 1983, morphological characteristics of seven putative hybrids were compated with those of teh A. concolor seed parent, herbarium specimens of A. religiosa, and published descriptions of both species. In addition, monoterpene composition of the putative hybrids was compared with that of the seed parent and two unrelated A. religiosa trees from the same provenance as the pollen parent. Results indicate that the putative hybrids are indeed hybrids between A. concolor and a. religiosa. This finding suggests that either taxonomic sections are not separated by reproductive barriers in Abies (as they are in Pinus) or that earlier classifications should be reconsidered.

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Citation

St. Clair, J.B.; Critchfield, W.B.  1988.  Hybridization of a Rocky Mountain fir (Abies concolor) and a Mexican fir (Abies religiosa). .   Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 18: 640-643