Abies nordmanniana

Trojan fir grows in a restricted area of the mountains of western Turkey. The scientific name equi-trojani is a reference to the ancient tale of the Trojan horse, which might well have been constructed of wood from this species as it grows nearby to the location of ancient Troy. This and the other firs of the Asia Minor mountains have caused headaches for botanists because in their splinter-like ranges they don’t form clear-cut species. Nowadays it is regarded, like Bornmueller’s fir (Abies bornmuelleriana), as a western subspecies of Caucasian fir (A.

The beautiful Caucasian fir may well be the most important fir species in Europe economically, not so much in its native range in the Caucasus Mountains but in western Europe, due to its success as a Christmas tree. For showiness, it comes very close to Pacific silver fir (A. amabilis). The long needles cover the branches spreading in every direction and the branches grow in symmetrical whorls. In the temperate maritime climate of the Caucasus it can reach heights of 70m (ca.230 ft.), taller than any other European species.