Douglas fir tree
Distinctive features
1. Cones have a papery three pointed structure that protrudes from between each cone scale. They look like mouse butts hanging out.
2. Needle like leaves with two white green stripes on the underside.
3. Some of the tallest trees in England.
4. The buds are conical reddish brown and sharply pointed.
To remember the distinctive and main features of a Douglas fir tree, use the following mnemonic:
To remember the key features you are going to have to complete a bit of research on Douglas Fairbanks who is remembered for his famous swashbuckling roles. One of the biggest stars of the silent era. Watch on Google: "Douglas Fairbanks famous stunt sword in the sail." Douglas fir and Douglas Fairbanks are so similar this is too good a mnemonic to avoid and once you've watched the 24 second video it's never forgotten and it helps you recall the following:
Imagine seeing mice (cones have mouse butts hanging down) fighting Douglas Fairbanks at the top of a very tall sailing ship (some of the tallest trees in the UK). The mouse captain and all his buddies are all dressed in reddish brown with pointy hats (buds are reddish brown and pointy). To get away, Douglas Fairbanks pulls out two swords (one in the film) and sticks them in the sail and drops down. The sail is left with two long stripes (the needle leaves have two long stripes).
Main Features of a Douglas Fir.
1. Douglas firs are conifers i.e. they bear cones. There are no other trees with cones like the Douglas fir. The cones have a papery three pronged protuberance between each scale. Each protuberance is called a bract. You may never unsee them as mouse butts hanging out of an inadequate shelter.
"Douglas-fir Cones"/(c) 2011 Tom Brandt and made available under a CC BY 2.0 license.
2. Each leaf is described as a needle. The leaves are evergreen meaning they stay on the tree throughout the year. Each needle leaf stays on the tree for several years. The leaves grow spirally directly from the twigs and stick out in all directions. Each needle is attached to the twig by a woody knob or peg. When crushed, the needles emit a pleasant citrus like fragrance. What makes the fir needles so distinctive is that they have two white green stripes on the underside.
3. The trees are tall and straight and are among the tallest trees in the UK (now surpassed by redwoods).
Ryan Cutler, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
4. The buds of the Douglas fir are an important feature for identifying them. The buds are conical, sharply pointed and reddish brown in colour. Buds are 4 to 8 millimetres in length. They contain the undeveloped shoots which develop into further stems and branches. Some buds develop into cones.
5. The Douglas fir.
