Abies mariesii

Maries’ fir is in the pine or Pinaceae family and is native to the mountains of central and northern Honshū, Japan, in the higher elevation temperate rainforest. Trees can reach 26 m tall. It is closely related to Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis).

• Tree crown is oval or flat-topped.
• Needles are flat, 1.5–2.5 cm long, 2 mm wide, matt dark green above with two white lines of stomata below, giving a lighter appearance; needle tips are slightly notched. Needles are spiral on the twigs but twist upward, with none below the shoot. Shoots are red-orange, pubescent. Needles are attached to the twig by a base resembling a small suction cup.
• The species is monoecious. Cones are erect, 5–11 cm long, 3–4 cm wide, dark purple-blue before maturity, scale bracts are short, hidden inside the scales. Cones ripen brown, disintegrating to release the winged seeds in early fall.
• Buds are spherical, slightly resinous, red-brown to gray-brown; bark is gray or glaucous, nearly white on old trees.