About Abies guatemalensis Rehd.
Abies guatemalensis Rehd. is a conical tree that reaches 20 to 35 meters in height and 60 to 90 cm in girth. Most of its branches grow horizontally. Its bark is blackish-brown and divided into plates. Branchlets are reddish-brown to deep blackish-red and covered in fine soft hairs. The buds are globular-ovoid, resinous, and approximately 5 mm long. Leaves are arranged in a somewhat comb-like or nearly pectinate pattern. They are unequal in size, deep green on the upper surface, and waxy in texture on the lower surface. Leaves measure 1.5 to 5.5 cm long and 1.2 to 2 mm wide. Stomata are usually absent from the upper leaf surface, but form 8 to 10 lines on the lower surface. Leaves have two marginal resin canals, and the leaf apex is notched and emarginate. Female cones are oblong-cylindric, with an apex that ranges from pointed to somewhat flattened. Cones are yellowish-brown with a violet bloom, and measure 8 to 11.5 cm long by 4 to 4.5 cm wide. Cone scales are oblong, or sometimes broader than they are long. Bracts are hidden, reaching about half the height of the scale, and have a cuneate-obovoid shape. Seeds are light brown nuts up to 9 mm long, with a wing that reaches 1.5 cm long. Abies guatemalensis is listed as Endangered by the IUCN, due to timber exploitation and habitat loss. It typically grows in deep, fertile soils, which are highly desirable for local agricultural use, especially for coffee plantations. This species was reported to be common until the 1940s. Large populations may still exist in Honduras, but current data about this is deficient. Evidence suggests that most remaining stands in Guatemala, with the exception of the forest at Los Altos de San Miguel Totonicapán, are no larger than 3 square kilometers. Additionally, the species produces irregular cone crops, and seed germination is typically poor. The forest of Los Altos de San Miguel Totonicapán in Guatemala hosts the largest and best-conserved remaining stands, covering an area of 52,000 acres (26,060 hectares), though these stands are also threatened by illegal logging. Because of its endangered status, harvesting Abies guatemalensis is illegal in some of its native countries. It is also listed in CITES Appendix I, which prohibits commercial international trade in wild-sourced specimens, including their parts and derivatives. The Central American And Mexico Coniferous Resources Cooperative (CAMCORE) has started programs to protect this tree in its native wild habitat. In Mexico, Abies guatemalensis occurs on the Pacific slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur and the southern Sierra Madre Occidental, in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, and Zacatecas. Its typical habitat is on volcanic soils between 1800 and 3700 meters elevation, in cool, moist climates influenced by oceanic conditions.
