Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis Large tree Zones 2–9 40–60 ft
Shares rocky ground, stream banks and floodplain forests in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Subalpine Fir
Abies lasiocarpa. Large tree, 30 to 80 feet where planted, zones 2 to 7; full sun, part shade or shade; dry, average or wet ground.
We do not grow subalpine 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 | Alpine fir, Rocky Mountain fir, western balsam fir, mountain balsam fir, Rocky Mountain subalpine fir, corkbark fir |
|---|---|
| Form | Large tree |
| Height, feet | 30 to 80 where planted; up to 171 in its native stands |
| Spread, feet | Up to 20 |
| Zones | 2 to 7 |
| Sun | Full sun, part shade or shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry, average or wet ground |
| Growth | Slow |
| Leaves | Evergreen |
| Traits | Wildlife value, hedge or screen, erosion control |
| Pollen | May to July |
| Fruit | Cones, August to November |
| First crop | About 20 years (corkbark fir about 50) |
| Pollination | One bears; a second improves the crop. Each tree carries both male and female cones and the wind carries the pollen. In its relative noble fir, a tree's own pollen gives about a third less seed. |
| Lifespan | Typically lives 250 years or less, and the oldest dated one was at least 507. Only a tiny share of trees has ever been ring-counted or cross-dated. |
| Planting season | Spring |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Ground | Rich moist slopes, rocky ground, stream banks and floodplain forests |
| Native in | 12 states |
Subalpine fir is native in 12 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and the Fire Effects Information System.
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 subalpine fir's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Western Soapberry
Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii Medium tree Zones 5–9 20–50 ft
Shares rocky ground, stream banks and floodplain forests in the wild.
American Elm
Ulmus americana Large tree Zones 2–9 60–80 ft
Shares stream banks and floodplain forests in the wild.
Balsam Poplar
Populus balsamifera Large tree Zones 2–5 30–100 ft
Shares stream banks and floodplain forests in the wild.
Peachleaf Willow
Salix amygdaloides Medium tree Zones 2–8 35–60 ft
Shares stream banks and floodplain forests in the wild.
Common Hoptree (Wafer Ash)
Ptelea trifoliata Small tree Zones 4–9 10–20 ft
Shares rocky ground 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 Wildflower Center, Cal Poly's SelecTree, Oregon State University's Landscape Plants, Oregon State University Extension, Utah State University Extension, Colorado State University Extension, the Gymnosperm Database and the International Tree-Ring Data Bank.