See text Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus Abies (Latin: [ˈabieːs]) in the family Pinaceae.

Firs can be distinguished from other members of the pine family by the unique attachment of their needle-like leaves to the twig by a base that resembles a small suction cup.

Other species have the upper surface of leaves dull, greyish green or bluish to silvery (glaucous), coated by wax with variable number of stomatal bands, and not always continuous.

The tips of leaves are usually more or less notched (as in A. firma), but sometimes rounded or dull (as in A. concolor, A. magnifica) or sharp and prickly (as in A. bracteata, A. cephalonica, A. holophylla).

[9] Firs differ from other conifers in having erect, cylindrical cones 5–25 cm (2–10 in) long that disintegrate at maturity to release the winged seeds.

The oldest pollen assignable to the genus dates to the Late Cretaceous in Siberia, with records of leaves and reproductive organs across the Northern Hemisphere from the Eocene onwards.

A. mariesii Masters A. amabilis (Douglas ex Loudon) Forbes A. procera Rehder A. magnifica Murray A. concolor (Gordon) Lindley ex Hildebr.

A. cilicica (Antoine & Kotschy) Carrière A. lasiocarpa (Hooker) Nuttall A. ernestii Rehder A. balsamea (von Linné) Miller A. firma Siebold & Zuccarini A. sibirica Ledeb.

A. fanjingshanensis Huang, Tu & Fang A. ziyuanensis Fu & Mo A. kawakamii (Hayata) Itô A. chensiensis van Tieghem A. squamata Masters A. beshanzuensis Wu A. pindrow (Royle ex Don) Royle A. recurvata Masters A. fargesii Franchet A. koreana Wilson A. nephrolepis (Trautvetter ex Maxim.)

A. georgei Orr A. homolepis Siebold & Zuccarini A. yuanbaoshanensis Lu & Fu Section Abies is found in central, south, and eastern Europe and Asia Minor.

Section Amabilis is found in the Pacific Coast mountains in North America and Japan, in high rainfall areas.