The most northerly-growing true fir, covering a vast range across North America, and among the most cold-hardy of all trees. Named after the liquid resin produced in the copious bark blisters that appear on young trees.

Grows across Canada and northern USA, seemingly capable of growing in almost any habitat. Mostly restricted to botanic gardens in Britain and Ireland.

Monoecious. See Fraser Fir (p. xxx) for taxonomic confusion.

Modest (25m) and conical. Needles dark green, 2cm, pointing up on the upper rank and flatter below, strongly aromatic when crushed. Female cones 8cm, purple-grey and resinous, borne at the very top, with bracts not usually extending beyond the scales. Fraser Fir differs in having bracts that extend beyond the scales.

Prefers well-drained and acid soils.

No notable associations where introduced, but foliage is favoured by Moose (Alces alces) in native range.

Intolerant of fire.

Native Americans used its resin as an antibacterial medicine and to seal birch-bark canoes. From the nineteenth century the resin, dissolved in essential oils, secured coverslips on microscope slides, sold as ‘Canada balsam’. It also makes an attractive specimen tree, especially when young.