Bur Oak
Quercus macrocarpa Large tree Zones 3–9 60–80 ft
Shares floodplain forests and dry uplands in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Grand Fir
Abies grandis. Large tree, 90 to 100 feet where planted, zones 4 to 9; full sun, part shade or shade; dry or average ground.
We do not grow grand fir, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Lowland white fir, yellow fir, giant fir, lowland fir, California great fir, Oregon white fir, Puget Sound fir, great silver fir, stinking fir |
|---|---|
| Form | Large tree |
| Height, feet | 90 to 100 where planted; up to 267 in its native stands |
| Spread, feet | Up to 25 |
| Zones | 4 to 9 |
| Sun | Full sun, part shade or shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry or average ground |
| Growth | Medium |
| Leaves | Evergreen |
| Traits | Wildlife value |
| Pollen | March to June |
| Fruit | Cones, August to October |
| First crop | About 20 years (20 to 50 in one review) |
| Pollination | One bears; a second improves the crop. Each tree carries both male and female cones, set apart in the crown in a way that favors pollen from another tree. In its relative noble fir, a tree's own pollen gives about a third less seed. |
| Lifespan | Typically lives 250 years, and the oldest dated one was at least 472. Only a tiny share of trees has ever been ring-counted or cross-dated. |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Ground | Floodplain forests, stream banks, rich moist slopes and dry uplands |
| Native in | 5 states |
Grand fir is native in 5 states: California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it sheds pollen and bears cones, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of grand fir's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Black Cherry
Prunus serotina Large tree Zones 2–9 50–80 ft
Shares rich moist slopes and dry uplands in the wild.
American Elm
Ulmus americana Large tree Zones 2–9 60–80 ft
Shares floodplain forests and stream banks in the wild.
Balsam Poplar
Populus balsamifera Large tree Zones 2–5 30–100 ft
Shares floodplain forests and stream banks in the wild.
Peachleaf Willow
Salix amygdaloides Medium tree Zones 2–8 35–60 ft
Shares floodplain forests and stream banks in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database, NC State Extension, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Wildflower Center, Cal Poly's SelecTree, Oregon State University's Landscape Plants, Utah State University Extension, the Gymnosperm Database and Oregon State University Extension.