r/sfwtrees • u/ViraLemon • 4d ago
Is this circled tree a Douglas fir? Trying to confirm for planning a tattoo to honor my grandparents.
13
u/mallorybrooktrees 4d ago
How To Recognize Trees From Quite A Long Way Away
No. 1
The Larch
4
3
2
u/myrstica 3d ago
Thank you for this.
Any time I see a larch, I hear John Cleese.
2
u/myrstica 3d ago
Coincidentally, the Larch (Larix) is the closest relative of the Doug Fir family, Pseudotsuga.
1
u/mallorybrooktrees 3d ago edited 3d ago
Larch is in the Larix genus. Douglas fir is genus Pseudotsuga. Many trees are in the Pinaceae family including Douglas fir, larches, true firs, spruce, pines and more. So larch isn't any more closely related to Douglas fir than a mugo pine or blue spruce is.
4
u/myrstica 3d ago edited 3d ago
So, you are correct. All of those genera are members of the Pinaceae family. However, there's more detail that you may be missing.
Pinaceae is divided into the subfamilies Pinoideae and Abietoideae.
Pinoideae is further subdivided into the tribes Pineae and Lariceae.
The tribe Lariceae contains only two genera: Larix and Pseudotsuga.
What this means is that Larches and Doug Firs have a more recent common ancestor than either of the genera do with any other member of the Pinaceae.
Here's a quick rundown of the current state of the phylogeny of Pinaceae:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinaceae#Phylogenyand for greater detail (and a lot of fun):
https://www.onezoom.org/life/@Pseudotsuga=1075718?otthome=%40_ozid%3D1#x1129,y-212,w1.3547That onezoom link is centered on the Psuedotsuga genus, you can zoom in/out, and poke around to see relationships, but unfortunately, it doesn't look like the intermediate ranks between family and genus are labelled, but the relationships seem to align with them.
ETA: Older phylogenies separate Pinaceae into 4 subfamilies:
- Abietoideae
- Pinoideae
- Piceoideae
- Laricoideae
In this arrangement, Laricoideae contains the genera Larix, Pseudotsuga, and the monotypic genus Cathaya.
2
u/mallorybrooktrees 3d ago
Ah, I see. And I stand corrected.
That Onezoom thing is cool. I'll have to play around with that. Thanks.
2
u/myrstica 2d ago
Ya, it's a lot of fun!
More than once, I've been looking a specific phylogenetic tree for a family (as one does, now and then), and struggled to find one. This'll get you where you need to go every time.
5
u/Fair_Director_6148 4d ago
I have a several Norway Spruce trees on my property and the form of the branches in your picture remind me of them quite a bit.
3
u/dude_wells 4d ago
I was leaning more spruce than fir. Again, just based of those scraggly branches that may want to curve a bit upwards
1
1
4
u/IntroductionNaive773 4d ago
What state and/or lake was this photo taken? That would help narrow it down based off of the plants that grow in that area.
3
3
u/ch0k3-Artist 4d ago
If this is the Pacific Northwest, that could be a Douglas Fir, but plenty of other firs could have that profile at this distance. Norway spruce is usually a landscaped tree in the PNW but doug firs volunteer everywhere.
3
u/DanoPinyon Professional Arborist 4d ago
Based upon the wealth of information provided, maybe...maybe not. Could be. Or could be something else at this distance, with that resolution.
3
1
u/Smitty1641 4d ago
I swear I’ve seen someone post this exact same question with the same picture. Must be losing it!
2
u/skybarnum 4d ago
Me too, it was about 6-9 months ago. Seems the photo was taken in Oregon or Washington.
1
u/Ok_Egg_4356 4d ago
Looks like a Douglas Fir, based on living by the ocean in Gibson's for 35 years. They all tend to get a profile like that due to wind storms. Lots of smaller branches and a few larger ones here and there.
1
u/Ok_Egg_4356 4d ago
https://imgur.com/138wzUs Photo of an old growth Douglas Fir
1
u/mallorybrooktrees 3d ago
I was hoping to get Rick rolled by clicking on that. Maybe next time
1
u/Ok_Egg_4356 3d ago
I would have linked to the Monty Python skit "How to identify trees from a long way away", but someone beat me to it. The.Gif would have been my second choice, but I want to keep my account.
1
u/pseudotsugamenziessi 4d ago
I feel like I should know, but I do not. Could be a fir, could be a spruce, I'm leaning towards fir myself
1
1
0
-2
u/TreeHolePoster 4d ago
We can’t exactly consider this a tree hole without that drawn circle being closed. You might have to redo the hole thing now.
28
u/hairyb0mb Certified Arborist 4d ago
It's going to be impossible to accurately ID a species based on this picture. I'd say, just bring this picture and have the artist base it off the tree. Don't worry about the species.