Abies bracteata

Santa Lucia Fir

Originating from the Santa Lucia Mountains in Monterey County, this tree can grow to be 100 to 150 feet tall at maturity. Its dense, declining branches start at nearly ground level and produce a broad, pyramidal shape which abruptly narrows 15 to 20 feet from the top to form a thin, spire-like head. The needles are flat, stiff, and light green; yellow flowers bloom in May and are followed in fall by 3-to-4-inches long cones with long, needle-like bristles on the ends. It occurs naturally in moist canyon bottoms and on dry rocky summits over 3,000 feet.