Abies procera, from which Noble Fir essential oil is distilled is sometimes known as Red Fir (although strictly that is Abies magnifica) or Christmastree and is a western North American fir, native to the Cascade Range and Coast Range mountains of extreme northwest California and western Oregon and Washington in the United States. It is a high altitude tree, typically occurring at 300–1,500 metres altitude, only rarely reaching tree line.
It is a large evergreen tree up to 40–70 metres in height and 2 metres in trunk diameter. It can, in exceptional circumstances, reach up to 90 metres and 2.7 metres in diameter with a narrow conic crown.
The bark on young trees is smooth and gray with resin blisters, becoming red-brown, rough and fissured on old trees. The leaves are needle-like, 1–3.5 cm long, glaucous blue-green above and below with strong stomatal bands, and a blunt to notched tip. They are arranged spirally on the shoot, but twisted slightly s-shaped to be upcurved above the shoot. The cones are erect, 11–22 cm long, with the purple scales almost completely hidden by the long exserted yellow-green bract scales; ripening brown and disintegrating to release the winged seeds in fall.
Abies procera is very closely related to the Red Fir (Abies magnifica and is hence the reason it is sometimes itself called the Red Fir) which replaces it farther southeast in southernmost Oregon and California, being best distinguished by the leaves having a groove along the midrib on the upper side; Red Fir does not show this.
Red Fir also tends to have the leaves less closely packed, with the shoot bark visible between the leaves, whereas the shoot is largely hidden in the Noble Fir. Red Fir cones also mostly have shorter bracts, except in Abies magnifica var. shastensis; this variety is considered by some botanists to be a hybrid between noble fir and red fir.
Reported Attributes of Noble Fir Essential Oil:-
Traditional and Emotional uses reportedly include:-
This is a much sought after but much rarer oil than Siberian, Silver or Grand Fir and is used to bring out masculine, attributes to mens fragrances, bath preparations, air fresheners, herbal, moss, soaps, and shaving creams. Fir needle is reported to help with arthritis, bronchitis, colds, coughs, flu, muscle aches, rheumatism, sinusitis and, of course, aromatically is very evocative.
Noble Fir Essential Oil Blends Well With:-
Cedar Leaf, all Citrus oils, Galangal, Galbanum, Geranium, Ginger, Juniper Berry & Leaf, Labdanum, Laurel Berry & Leaf, Lavandin all the Lavenders.
Cautions:-
May cause skin irritation in some individuals if used in high concentrations.
