Abies nebrodensis, the Sicilian fir, is a fir native to the Madonie mountains in northern Sicily.
Taxonomy
It is closely related to silver fir, Abies alba, which replaces it in the Apennine Mountains of Italy and elsewhere further north in Europe; some botanists treat Sicilian fir as a variety of silver fir, as Abies alba var. nebrodensis. Needle morphology and genetic studies showed ancient relationships of Abies nebrodensis with southern Italy Abies alba, Abies cephalonica and Abies numidica.
Description
It is a medium-size evergreen coniferous tree growing to 15–25 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 1 m.
Ecology
It occurs at elevations of 1400–1,600 metres.