European silver fir

Native to the mountains of Central and Southern Europe, where it forms a belt with a lower limit from 300 m above sea level to the upper forest boundary (up to 2000 m). Forms both pure and mixed stands with various deciduous species, predominantly beech. Its natural distribution is associated with consistently high air humidity and abundant precipitation, mild winters and cool summers. Protected in reserves. Grows in the Carpathians, less often in the Pre-Carpathians; forms large forest masses and island groves in Rostochye, the Western and Volhynian forest-steppe, Western Polissya, and very rarely in the Zhytomyr and Chernihiv Polissya.

European silver fir is an evergreen coniferous tree 30–60 m tall and up to 2 m in diameter. Crown pyramidal, low-hanging. Bark red or gray, peels off in thin flakes. Leaves (needles) fragrant, four-sided and pointed, bright or dark green, densely cover the branches. Monoecious species. Microspores (pollen) are formed in microsporangia (anthers), which are contained on microstrobili gathered into elongated-cylindrical strobili ("ears") in the axils of the light-green, scale-like leaves of one-year shoots at the ends of branches.

Female seed cones are pendulous, elongated-cylindrical, first red, then green, and finally brown, scaly, 10–16 cm long and 3–4 cm wide. Seeds are dark brown with a wing three times as long as the seed. Flowers in May. Lives up to 300–400 years.

As an ornamental plant it is grown in parks and as snow-protective shelterbelts. Widely cultivated throughout Ukraine.

It poorly tolerates dry air and soil, grows well on sufficiently moist fertile soils, avoids waterlogged soils, and is sensitive to smoke and gases. Germination rate 50–60%. It is best to sow freshly collected seeds in autumn. In spring before sowing, seeds should be soaked in water for 1–2 days. They germinate without pre-sowing treatment at +20° ... +30°C, preferably in light.