Tropical Plant "Balsam Fir"
Abies balsamea

Uses - The balsam or pitch, in extreme emergency, forms a highly concentrated, though disagreeable, food. Bark of conifers, mostly, was so important in the diet of some tribes that at least one tribe, the Adirondacks, owe their name to the Mohawk term for "tree eaters." In contrast to pine bark, the fir bark is a delight to chew in winter or early spring, slightly mucilaginous and sweetish, better raw than cooked. Inner bark that does not show any discoloration can be used for breadstuff and it takes about an hour to peel enough for one loaf. Leaves average 0.65% essential oil, ranging to 1.4% or higher. Trunks also yield oil of "Canada balsam" or turpentine, used as a permanent mounting medium in microscopy and as a cement for glassware. Canada turpentine yields 15–25% volatile oil, the resin being used for caulking and incense. Often used for Christmas trees. Abies species are commercially valuable for timber even though their wood is relatively soft, weak, and perishable. Balsam fir is used in the US for timber and plywood, and is the mainstay of the pulp wood industry in the northeast.

Toxicity - Canada balsam is reported to produce dermatitis when applied as perfume. The foliage has also induced contact dermatitis.

Description - Tree to 20 m tall; trunk 3–5 dm in diameter. Bark brown, broken into scaly plates with resin-filled pockets. Twigs pale green and pubescent when young, becoming gray, reddish, or purplish. Leaves dark green, linear, sessile, spiral in origin, but twisted at base to form two ranks; leaves persisting many years; leaf-scars circular. Lower leaves to 3 cm long, those on coniferous branches much shorter. Winter buds globose, 3–6 mm in diameter, with orange-green scales, resinous. Mature cones nearly cylindrical, 3–8.5 cm long by 2–3 cm thick, dark purple when growing. Bracts ovate, the distinct awn protruding beyond the scale below it. Seeds ovoid or oblong, acute at base, with thin wing and resinous vesicles, maturing in one summer.