This remarkable Abies bracteata of c. 30 m height grew on the Perrystone Estate, Herefordshire, until it was blown down in a gale in c. 2017. NatureServe. Santa Lucia Fir. I also nominated this tree about two years ago, directly to Art Cowley, but it has never appeared in the register. and Hargrove, W.W., 2017. Bristlecone fir, Santa lucia fir Abies bracteata, a gymnosperm, is a tree that is native to California, and is endemic (limited) to California. rat snakes and perhaps other predators. I’m reminded of seeing Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers in South Carolina tending sap wells on the perimeter of the cleared area of their nest cavity entrance in Longleaf Pines. The entire natural range of this rare species is limited to a coastal strip about 60 miles (97 km) long within Los Padres National Forest. For copyright and licence information, see the Licence page. About Santa Lucia Fir (Abies bracteata) 0 Nurseries Carry This Plant Add to My Plant List; The Bristlecone Fir or Santa Lucia Fir (Abies bracteata) is a rare fir, confined to slopes and the bottoms of rocky canyons in the Santa Lucia Mountains on the central coast of California, USA.It is a tree 20-35 meter tall, with a slender, spire-like form. Impact of sudden oak death on tree mortality in the Big Sur ecoregion of California. wide; dark shining green, with two blue-white bands of stomata beneath; the leaves are aggregated into two sets, one each side of the shoot, leaving a broad V-shaped opening between. Using standard IUCN techniques, herbarium specimen based estimates of its extent of occurrence and area of occupancy give figures of 1485 km2 and 64 km2 respectively. It is potentially susceptible to indirect effects of climate change and any further change in its status could lead to a listing as Endangered. specimens: Leonardslee, Sussex, 18 ft high in 1931, 97 × 33⁄4 ft (1979); Colemans Hatch, Sussex, 88 × 81⁄2 ft (1984); Upper Hartfield, Sussex, 75 × 71⁄4 ft (1975); Tilgate, Crawley, Sussex, pl. Loarie, S.R., Carter, B.E., Hayhoe, K., McMahon, S., Moe, R., Knight, C.A. It occurs either in mixed evergreen forests, canyon live oak communities or occassionally with Sequoia sempervirens, Pinus lambertiana and P. ponderosa, Santa Lucia Fir is no longer used for timber but it is an attractive and unusual species much valued in collections for botanic gardens and arboreta. It is also potentially susceptible to indirect effects of climate change. Meentemeyer, R.K., Rank, N.E., Shoemaker, E., Oneal, E.C., Wickland, A.C., Frangioso, K.M. Abies bracteata Hook. Throughout its range A. bracteata is restricted to steep north- and east-facing upland slopes and ridges, in canyon bottoms, and on raised stream benches and terraces.These areas are not prone to hot fires. Apart from its remarkable bract-scales, its leading characters are the slender buds and the long, spine-tipped leaves. 1891, 114 × 101⁄2 ft (1966); University of Exeter, Devon, 105 × 11 and 85 × 113⁄4 ft (1967); Mells Park, Somerset, 97 × 83⁄4 ft (1966); Althorp, Northants, 96 × 9 ft (1964); Nymans, Sussex, pl. Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California (online edition, v8-03 0.39). The rarest of the firs, with narrow, conical, spirelike crown of short, slightly drooping branches. These two vigorous young trees of Abies bracteata growing at Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire, demonstrate the potential vigour of the species when the conditions are right. long, 1⁄10 in. long, 2 to 21⁄2 in. Photographed January 2014. Image Tom Christian. Chen, G., He, Y., De Santis, A., Li, G., Cobb, R. and Meentemeyer, R.K., 2017. Bristlecone Fir is restricted to five main locations in the Santa Lucia Mountains of the central California coast in Monterey County and northwestern San Luis Obispo County at altitudes ranging from 213 m to 1,571 m. Its estimated extent of occupancy is about 710 km2. The following are some of the larger specimens, and others whose planting dates are known: Eastnor Castle, Heref., 117 × 151⁄4 ft (1961); Bodnant, Denbigh, pl. The fir with the lightest needles is the Colorado Fir however. However, dieback of associated oak species through Sudden Oak Death may increase fuel-load in surrounding areas and heighten the risk of more intense fires (Chen et al. Geographic subdivisions for Abies bracteata: n SCoRO (Santa Lucia Range). 2008. wide, egg-shaped, purplish brown, each bract terminated by a slender, stiff, spine-tipped point, 1 to 2 in. Abies bracteata has been assessed as Near Threatened on the basis of its restricted distribution, a decline in the quality of the habitat in areas surrounding existing stands due to the effects of Sudden Oak Death, poor regeneration and poor re-establishment potential.