Taxon Report

Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. var. lasiocarpa

subalpine fir

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Abies lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa, commonly known as subalpine fir, is a perennial evergreen tree in the Pinaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Meadows and seeps, Subalpine coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 945 to 2225 meters. Abies lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa is ranked 2B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. var. lasiocarpa
Common Name:	subalpine fir
Family:	Pinaceae
Element Code:	PGPIN01072
USDA Plants Symbol:	ABLAL
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen tree
Blooming Period:
Elevation:	945-2225 (3100-7300)
General Habitats:	Meadows and seeps, Subalpine coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.3
Global Rank:	G5T5
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	17
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	2
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	14

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Siskiyou (SIS)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Billys Peak (4112227), Boulder Peak (4112351), Eaton Peak (4112238), English Peak (4112342), Marble Mountain (4112352), Yellow Dog Peak (4112341)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	1
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	6 %
Grazing	1	5%

Notes



See Madroño 20(8):413-415 (1970) for distributional information.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 28 October 2025].