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Scientific name: Abies koreana E.H.Wilson 1920
Synonyms: Abies koreana f. nigrocarpa Hatus.
Common names: Korean fir (English), Kusang namu (Korean)
Tree to 18 m tall, with trunk to 0.8 m in diameter. Bark pale gray, darkening and breaking up into blocks with age. Young branchlets with a few hairs in the shallow grooves between the leaf bases, but these soon lost. Buds 3-5 mm long, lightly resinous. Needles standing out all around the twigs, although shorter, denser, and curved above, mostly 1-2 cm long, shining dark green above, widest near the pointed (on cone-bearing branches) or notched tip. Individual needles flat or plump in cross section, the edges slightly rolled down, and with a resin canal near the center of either side, without stomates on the upper side and with 8-10 lines of stomates in each gleaming white stomatal band beneath. Pollen cones 8-15 mm long, red. Seeds cones cylindrical, 4-6(-7) cm long, 2-3 cm across, rich purple when young, maturing purplish brown. Bracts about as long as the minutely hairy seed scales and sticking out a little and back over them. Persistent cone axis narrowly conical. Seed body 5-6 mm long, the wing only about half as long. Cotyledons four or five.
Cheju (Quelpart) Island and nearby mainland South Korea. Mostly mixed with other conifers and hardwoods in the subalpine forest of mountain summits; 1,000-1,900 m.
Red List Category & Criteria: Endangered
The Korean fir (Abies koreana) has an estimated area of occupancy (AOO) of about 12 km². It occurs in four fragmented locations; Mt. Gaya, Mt. Chiri and Mt. Togyu on the mainland and Mt. Halla on the remote Jeju Island. The distances between each location range from 40–250 km and are likely to be too great to allow for effective gene flow. There is clear and documented evidence of a continuing decline in the AOO and quality of habitat due to a number of factors which include the effects of climate change, pathogen attack and on Mt. Halla the invasion of pines and bamboo (Sasa). For these reasons Abies koreana has been assessed as Endangered. The conservation status of this species needs to be carefully monitored as if there is a further reduction of the current AOO of 12 km² to 10 km² or below, then it will qualify as Critically Endangered.
Occurs in sub-alpine areas on shallow mountain soils poor in humus content. Its elevational range is between 1,000 m and 1,900 m asl. The climate is cool temperate, with a summer monsoon bringing the annual precipitation above 1,600 mm. Abies koreana grows in pure stands or mixed with Betula ermanii, Taxus cuspidata, Prunus maximowiczii, Prunus sargentii, Cornus kousa with an understory of Sasa quelpartensis on Cheju Island. On the mainland it is also mixed with Picea jezoensis, Pinus koraiensis, Pinus densiflora, Taxus cuspidata, Quercus mongolica var. mandshurica, Cornus controversa, Acer spp. Fraxinus sieboldiana, Magnolia sieboldii, Sorbus commixta, and several genera of low shrubs, e.g. Juniperus, Deutzia, Ribes and Rhododendron. The forest is usually open and essentially dominated by conifers, with Abies koreana a minor component.
Abies koreana is facing critical population declines. Regional decline of Abies koreana was first recognized in 1980s. The continuing decline in the AOO is as a result of trees suffering from die-back and eventual death and is likely as a result of climate change. For example, on Mt Togyu the rate of dead trees sampled was 18.18% while on Mt Halla it amounts to 6.44%. It is thought that the dieback is most probably the results of complex interactions between multiple environmental factors caused by global warming. Abies koreana is also in decline due to vigorous competition from the bamboo Sasa quelpaertensis and invading pine trees on Mt Halla (C.-S. Kim pers. obs.). Studies suggest that damage by the fungal pathogen Racodium therryanum may be a significant inhibitory factor for the natural regeneration of Abies koreana on Mt Halla. Twenty years ago between 30%-40% of the subpopulation in Deok-yu (10% of the National Park) was destroyed due to the development of a Ski resort.
The Korean fir is a small to medium sized tree that grows slowly and together with its rarity these qualities make it unsuitable as a timber tree. Because of its small stature and compact growth, it has been widely used as an ornamental tree, particularly for small gardens.
It is afforded protection in all its locations, however even with protection 10% of the Togyu (Deok-yu) National Park was destroyed during the development of a ski resort. To reverse the decline of this species and preserve the genetic diversity, it is necessary to increase natural regeneration from seeds; for this to happen there needs to be an understanding of the factors that affect seed germination and initial seedling survival. More research is needed into the effects of global warming; temperature and water relation seem to be of great significance in Korean fir dieback, but little is known about this relationship and the direct effects on Abies koreana.
Abies koreana ‘Adelboden’ Abies koreana ‘Alpin Star’ Abies koreana ‘Amy’s Afternoon’ Abies koreana ‘Ara’ Abies koreana ‘Arbor’s Globe’ Abies koreana ‘Arbor’s Hexe’ Abies koreana ‘Arnold’ Abies koreana ’Aurea’ Abies koreana ‘Aurea Gem’ Abies koreana ‘Aurea Kohout’ Abies koreana ‘Aureospica’ Abies koreana ‘Beskid’ Abies koreana ’Blauer Dragoner’ Abies koreana ’Blauer Eskimo’ Abies koreana ’Blauer Pfiff’ Abies koreana ‘Blaue Zwo’ Abies koreana ‘Blue Cones’ Abies koreana ’Blue Emperor’ Abies koreana ’Blue Magic’ Abies koreana ‘Blue Parabol’ Abies koreana ’Blue Standard’ Abies koreana ‘Bonanza’ Abies koreana ‘Bonite’ Abies koreana ’Brevifolia’ Abies koreana ‘Bultinck Dark’ Abies koreana ’Cis’ Abies koreana ’Compact Dwarf’ Abies koreana ’Compact Form’ Abies koreana ’Dark Hill’ Abies koreana ‘Dennis’ Abies koreana ‘Doni Tajusho‘ Abies koreana ’Eisregen’ Abies koreana ‘Fastigiata’ Abies koreana ‘Fincham’s Seedling’ Abies koreana ’Flava’ Abies koreana ’Fliegender Untertasse’ Abies koreana ‘French’ Abies koreana ’Frosty’ Abies koreana ’Gait’ Abies koreana ’Gelbbunt’ Abies koreana ‘Glauca‘ Abies koreana ’Golden Dream’ Abies koreana ’Golden Glow’ Abies koreana ’Golden Wonder’ Abies koreana ’Goldener Traum’ Abies koreana ’Goldherz’ Abies koreana ‘Green Ball’ Abies koreana ’Green Carpet’ Abies koreana ‘Green Gold’ Abies koreana ’Gruene Spinner’ Abies koreana ’Grübele H.B.’ Abies koreana ‘Hexe’ Abies koreana ’Hexenbessen Horstmann’ Abies koreana ’Horstmann’ Abies koreana ‘Horstmann’s Silberlocke’ Abies koreana ‘Hulsdonk’ Abies koreana ’Inverleith’ Abies koreana ’Julian Potts’ Abies koreana ‘Kobolt‘ Abies koreana ‘Kohout‘ Abies koreana ’Kohout Hexe’ Abies koreana ‘Kohout’s Icebreaker‘ Abies koreana ‘Kristalkugel‘ Abies koreana ’Lippetal’ Abies koreana ’Luminetta’ Abies koreana ’Lutea’ Abies koreana ’Mondschein’ Abies koreana ’Nadelkissen’ Abies koreana ’Nana’ Abies koreana ’Nanaimo’ Abies koreana ‘N Degrees’ Abies koreana ‘Nana’ Abies koreana ‘Nigrans’ Abies koreana ’Nisbet’ Abies koreana ’Oberon’ Abies koreana ‘Olhtacca’ Abies koreana ‘Ottostrasse’ Abies koreana ‘Pancake’ Abies koreana ‘Petite’ Abies koreana ’Piccolo’ Abies koreana ’Pinocchio’ Abies koreana ’Pompom’ Abies koreana ’Prostrata’ Abies koreana ’Prostrate Beauty’ Abies koreana ‘Pygmy’ Abies koreana ‘Schneecanone’ Abies koreana ‘Schneestern‘ Abies koreana ’Schneeverdingen’ Abies koreana ‘Schwedenkönig‘ Abies koreana ’Silberglanz’ Abies koreana ’Silberlade’ Abies koreana ’Silberlocke’ Abies koreana ’Silbermavers’ Abies koreana ’Silberperl’ Abies koreana ‘Silberreif‘ Abies koreana ’Silberzwerg’ Abies koreana ‘Silver Curls’ Abies koreana ’Silver Mavers’ Abies koreana ’Silver Show’ Abies koreana ‚Silver Star‘ Abies koreana ‘Starker’s Dwarf‘ Abies koreana ’Taiga’ Abies koreana ’Tundra’ Abies koreana ‘Verdener Dom‘ Abies koreana ‘Wellenseind‘ Abies koreana ‘Wiki‘ Abies koreana ’Wüstemeyer’
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