Abies cilicica Cilician fir

The 1-inch needles of Cilician fir are dark glossy green on top and paler green below, but most of the underside is covered by two broad, whitish bands. Under a hand lens each band is seen to consist of half a dozen or so lines of separate white dots, the stomata that control gas exchange with the air.

Rich in history, long before and long after it was defined as a Roman province, Cilicia is on the Turkish coast, just north of Cyprus, and is now a cruise-ship destination. Its firs are not commonly planted; we are indebted to Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation for cultivating them.

Two beautiful 6-foot individuals are in the area bounded by Green Library, Meyer Green, and Galvez Module; another, 12 feet high, is east of the Clock Tower surrounded by a sea of prostrate tea-tree.

Name derivation: Abies – Latin name for fir; cilicica – of Cilicia, Turkey.