''Abies guatemalensis'', the Guatemalan fir or ''pinabete'', is an evergreen tree native to
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
and is the southernmost member of the genus ''
Abies
Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely related t ...
'' being spread to the south lower than 14° N.
Its range is from southern (less from western and central)
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
in the north to
Honduras and
El Salvador in the south. It is a warm-loving and moisture-loving tree of the tropical mountain coniferous and mixed
cloud forests of these countries. The Guatemalan fir is an almost completely non-frost-resistant tree. Due to logging and loss of habitat, the tree is considered threatened and is protected in
CITES
CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...
Appendix I.
Description
''A. guatemalensis'' is a conical tree growing 20 to 35 meters tall and 60 to 90 cm in girth. The branches grow largely horizontally. The
bark is a blackish-brown and is divided into plates. The branchlets are reddish-brown to deep blackish-red and pubescent. The
buds are globular-ovoid, resinous, and roughly 5 mm in length. The
leaves are somewhat comb-like or nearly pectinate in arrangement. They are unequal and deep green above and waxy in texture underneath. They measure 1.5 to 5.5 cm long by 1.2 to 2 mm wide.
Stomata are usually absent above, but appear in 8 to 10 lines below. They contain two marginal resin canals and the apex of the leaf is notched and emarginate. The female
cone
A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex.
A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines con ...
s are oblong-cylindric and the apex is pointed to somewhat flattened. They are yellowish-brown in colour with a violet bloom and measure 8 to 11.5 cm long by 4 to 4.5 cm wide. The scales are oblong, or broader than long. The
bracts are hidden, about one half the height of the scale and are cuneate-obovoid in shape. The
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
s are a light brown nut to 9 mm in length with a wing to 1.5 cm long"
Taxonomy
There are two recognised varieties of ''A. guatemalensis'', namely:
* ''A. g.'' var. ''guatemalensis'', which is the type variety and is present over the majority of the range. It is present in
Guatemala,
El Salvador,
Honduras and the Mexican
states of
Chiapas,
Colima
Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima.
Colima i ...
,
Guerrero
Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the pop ...
,
Oaxaca
Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...
and
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...
.
* ''A. g.'' var. '' jaliscana'' is present only in the northern part of the distribution, namely in the Mexican states of
Jalisco,
Michoacán,
Nayarit
Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...
and possibly
Sinaloa.
Ecology
''A. guatemalensis'' is listed as
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...
by the
IUCN due to timber exploitation and loss of habitat.
[ It characteristically grows in deep fertile soils, which are desirable for agriculture by local inhabitants (especially for ]coffea
''Coffea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. ''Coffea'' species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. The seeds of some species, called coffee beans, are used to flavor vario ...
plantations). It was reported as being a common tree up until the 1940s. Large populations may still remain in Honduras, but data is currently deficient. Some evidence suggests that the areas of each remaining stands in Guatemala (except for the forest of Los Altos de San Miguel Totonicapán) are usually no larger than 3 square kilometers.[ Furthermore, the cone crops are irregular and germination is typically poor.][ Among the remaining populations, the forest of Los Altos de San Miguel Totonicapán in Guatemala is said to harbour the largest and best-conserved stands by area of 52,000-acres (26,060 hectares), though these are also threatened by ]illegal logging
Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corruption, corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, o ...
. As a result of its status, it has become illegal to harvest in some countries where it is native and it is listed in CITES
CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...
Appendix I, which prohibits commercial international trade in wild-sourced specimens (including parts and derivatives). The Central American And Mexico Coniferous Resources Cooperative (CAMCORE) has also begun programmes to protect the tree in the wild.[
In Mexico, ''A. guatemalensis'' is found on the Pacific slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur and the southern ]Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American ...
, in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, and Zacatecas. Typical habitat is on volcanic soils between 1800 and 3700 meters elevation, in areas of cool, moist climate with oceanic influence.[Farjon, Aljos (2010). ''A Handbook of the World's Conifers.'' Brill, 2010. Vol. 1, pp 89-90.]
References
External links
Authenticmaya.com: Guatemalan Flora
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1552931
guatemalensis
Trees of Guatemala
Trees of El Salvador
Trees of Honduras
Trees of Chiapas
Trees of Colima
Trees of Guerrero
Trees of Jalisco
Trees of Michoacán
Trees of Nayarit
Trees of Oaxaca
Trees of Sinaloa
Trees of Tamaulipas
Endangered biota of Mexico
Endangered flora of North America
Plants described in 1939
Trees of Central America
Flora of the Central American pine–oak forests
Flora of the Central American montane forests
Flora of the Sierra Madre del Sur
Flora of the Sierra Madre Oriental
Cloud forest flora of Mexico