Editing Fir (section)

=== Cones ===
<gallery>
Abies cone & bits.jpg|Intact and disintegrated [[Abies borisii-regis|Bulgarian fir]] cones
Abies holophylla Manchurian Fir cones.jpg|Immature cones of some species are green; here [[Abies holophylla|Manchurian fir]] ''Abies holophylla''
Manchurian Fir Abies holophylla disintegrating cones.jpg|Disintegrating cones of Manchurian fir
Abies pindrow India3.jpg|[[Abies pindrow|Pindrow fir]] ''Abies pindrow'' with dark purple cones
Caucasian Fir, young cultivated tree with cones, Northumberland.jpg|[[Abies nordmanniana|Caucasian Fir]] ''Abies nordmanniana'' young cones with reddish scales and yellow-green bracts
Noble Fir, young naturalised tree with cones, Northumberland.jpg|[[Abies procera|Noble fir]] ''Abies procera'', with five heavy (20&nbsp;cm, approx 0.5&nbsp;kg each) cones, three erect, and two hanging where their weight has caused the branch to twist
</gallery>

Firs differ from other conifers in having erect, cylindrical [[Conifer cone|cones]] {{convert|5|-|25|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} long that disintegrate at maturity to release the winged [[seed]]s. In contrast to [[spruce]]s, fir cones are erect; they do not hang, unless heavy enough to twist the branch with their weight.

The mature cones are usually brown. When young in summer, they can be green:
:''[[Abies grandis|A. grandis]]'', ''[[Abies holophylla|A. holophylla]]''

or reddish:
:''[[Abies alba|A.&nbsp;alba]]'', ''[[Abies cephalonica|A.&nbsp;cephalonica]]'', ''[[Abies nordmanniana|A.&nbsp;nordmanniana]]''

or bloomed pale glaucous or pinkish:
:''[[Abies numidica|A.&nbsp;numidica]]'', ''[[Abies pinsapo|A.&nbsp;pinsapo]]''

or purple to blue, sometimes very dark blue, almost black:
:''[[Abies forrestii|A.&nbsp;forrestii]]'', ''[[Abies fraseri|A.&nbsp;fraseri]]'', ''[[Abies homolepis|A.&nbsp;homolepis]]'', ''[[Abies lasiocarpa|A.&nbsp;lasiocarpa]]'', ''[[Abies pindrow|A.&nbsp;pindrow]]''.

Many species are [[polymorphism (biology)|polymorphic]] in cone colour, with different individuals of the same species producing either green or purple cones:
:''[[Abies concolor|A.&nbsp;concolor]]'', ''[[Abies koreana|A.&nbsp;koreana]]'' (usually purple, rarely green, such as the [[cultivar]] 'Flava'), ''[[Abies magnifica|A.&nbsp;magnifica]]'' (usually green, occasionally purple), ''[[Abies nephrolepis|A.&nbsp;nephrolepis]]'' (f.&nbsp;''chlorocarpa'' green), ''[[Abies sibirica|A.&nbsp;sibirica]]'', ''[[Abies veitchii|A.&nbsp;veitchii]]'' (f.&nbsp;''olivacea'' green)<ref name="Seneta81" />

The cone scale bracts can be short and hidden in the mature cone, or long and exposed ('exserted'); this can vary even within a species, e.g. in ''[[Abies magnifica]]'' var. ''magnifica'', the bracts are hidden, but in var. ''critchfieldii'' and var. ''shastensis'', they are exserted. The bracts scales are often a different colour to the cone scales, which can make for a very attractive combination valued in ornamental trees.