Is a Douglas Fir really a Fir?

Question

Some say it is and some say it isn't!

Answer 1

it is coniferous fir

Answer 2

Douglas Fir are not true firs - see the explanation below:

Douglas-fir is the common name applied to coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico and two in eastern Asia. The Douglas-firs gave 19th century botanists problems due to their similarity to various other conifers better known at the time; they have at times been classified in Pinus, Picea, Abies, Tsuga, and even Sequoia. Because of the distinctive cones, Douglas-firs were finally placed in the new genus Pseudotsuga (meaning "false Tsuga") by the French botanist Carrière in 1867.

The common name honours David Douglas, the Scottish botanist who first introduced the tree into cultivation in 1826. Douglas is known for introducing many North American native conifers to Europe. The hyphen in the common name indicates that Douglas-firs are not true firs; i.e. they are not members of the genus Abies.

Answer 3

Douglas-fir (notice the hyphen in the common name indicating the fact that it is not a true fir, only in name), Pseudotsuga menziesii, is a gymnosperm of the Pinaceae family, just like firs.  Originally the three North American species (and 3 or 4 Asian) that make up the genus were considered members of the Abies (fir) genus (and by another taxonomer the Pinus (pines) genus), however, Pseudotsuga was described by Carrière in (I beleive) 1867.  There are some very particular differences between firs and Douglas-fir, two of the most notable include 1) The shape of the leaf; and 2) the cones - fir cones stand upright on the branches and when mature, their scales and seeds are deciduous and will fall off; Pseudotsuga cones hang like a pendent and have persistent scales.  The brachts housing the seeds also look quite different, and typically a fir tree will seep resin from "resin blisters," a trait not shown by Doug-fir.

Yes, there has historically been some disagreement about the taxonomic classification of Douglas-fir, but taxonomists, botanists, and foresters will tell you that the accepted genus is Pseudotsuga, defining it in it's truest sense as not a fir.

Answer 4

Douglas-fir is a huge and stately evergreen conifer

Fir Tree usually refers to any of around fifty species of evergreen conifer

EDIT - sorry i misinformed you. i stand corrected.