General: Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is a coniferous (cone-bearing) tree with flat needles that radiate in all directions around the twigs. The cones are cylindrical with three-pointed bracts that emerge from between the cone scales.

In southern Nevada, Douglas Fir is a rare component of the montane vegetation in the Canadian (Pine-Fir Forest) life zone in the Virgin Range (south of Mesquite, Nevada). The Virgin Range is the only place in southern Nevada where this species can be found; it is, however, more common in the northern states and is one of the main species cut for lumber in the western U.S. This species can also be found along the south rim of the Grand Canyon over the edge below Grandview Point.

Family: Pine (Pinaceae).

Other Names:

Plant Form: Tall tree with rounded crown and large upper branches

Height: To 125 ft in the deserts; to 220 feet elsewhere.

Trunk: To 4 ft diameter in the deserts; to 14 feet elsewhere.

Bark: Smooth with resin blisters, aging to dark, thick, and deeply furrowed.

Branches: Long and spreading; lower branches drooping towards ground.

Needles: Dark blue green; protrude in all directions from the branchlet; narrow, flat, soft; rounded at tip; to about 1.5-inches long. Two narrow white stripes on underside of leaf.

Cones: Reddish brown; cylindrical, 2 to 3.5 inches long; scales thin, rounded; 3-pointed papery bracts protrude from between scales; hang from branches; deciduous.

Seeds: Winged.

Habitat: Higher-elevation mountains on shady east-facing and north-facing slopes in southern Nevada and northern Arizona. Mountainous areas elsewhere.

Elevation: To about 7,200 feet.

Distribution: California to British Columbia. In Nevada, found only at higher elevations on Virgin Peak.

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