Pseudotsuga menziesii

Young Douglas firs are often confused with the true firs (Abies species) because their bark is smooth and the needles soft; but the buds are long, brown and sharp, whereas those of the true firs are round. The easiest way to identify this species is from the cones. In their native area there is a tale about an Indian chief who was sitting under a tree meditating, but mice kept bothering him. The chief shouted at them angrily, and then again, even louder. The mice got such a fright that they hid in the tree’s cones – and they are still there to this day!