Pseudotsuga macrocarpa
Wald. Nordamer. 278, plates 6, 8, 9. 1890.
Common names: Bigcone Douglas-fir bigcone-spruce
Endemic
Basionym: Abies macrocarpa Vasey Gard. Monthly & Hort. 18: 21. 1876
Synonyms: Pseudotsuga douglasii var. macrocarpa (Vasey) Engelmann
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 2.
Trees to 44m; trunk to 2.3m diam.; crown broadly conic. Twigs slender, glabrous or pubescent. Leaves (20–)25–45 × 1–1.5mm, bluish green, apex mucronulate. Pollen cones pale yellow. Seed cones 9–20 × 4–7cm. Seeds 9–12mm. 2n =24.
Habitat: Slopes, cliffs, and canyons, in chaparral and mixed coniferous forests
Elevation: 200–2400m
Discussion
Pseudotsuga macrocarpa, a tree of scattered occurrence and of no concern for timber, is valuable for esthetics and watershed protection. The northernmost stands of the species, in Kern County, are about 35 kilometers east of the closest approach of P. menziesii.
Selected References
Lower Taxa
None.