Abies koreana Hybrids

A. koreana × A. lasiocarpa

A cultivated hybrid between A. koreana and A. lasiocarpa intermediate between its parents. Individual leaves tend to resemble A. lasiocarpa, usually being longer and narrower than in A. koreana, but their arrangement on the shoots is more or less radial, as in A. koreana. Several cultivars are assigned here by Auders & Spicer (2012); see below:

• ‘Diskus’ A cultivar of this name and parentage is illustrated and discussed by Auders & Spicer (2012, p.110–111) but neither convincingly demonstrates the influence of A. lasiocarpa. This may be a misassigned cultivar. The plant described by those authors forms a squat pyramid to <1 m in ten years, with broad, green leaves. It was listed by the Bethlehem Nursery, USA, in 2007.
• ‘Festival’ A compact plant, broader than tall for the first few years but soon developing into a small conical tree with pale blue leaves, to 2 m in ten years. Raised in the Netherlands during the 1990s.
• ‘Grosseri’ Raised in Czechia prior to 2009, but the cultivar name in Latin form is invalid if published after 1959, which it almost certainly was. This selection is described as a small, compact plant with green leaves, rather than the usual grey-green or blue.
• ‘Hobbytime’ A vigorous selection, broad-pyramidal in habit, with pale blue leaves. More vigorous than ‘Hurricane Blue’, it can achieve 2.5 m in ten years. Possibly raised in the Netherlands in the early 2000s.
• ‘Hurricane Blue’ Perhaps the most common form of the cross, in many respects similar to ‘Hobbytime’ though not quite so vigorous. Possibly of North American origin, it was first listed by Buchholz & Buchholz of Oregon in 2009.
• ‘Waldgrenze’ A German selection raised prior to 2001 by the Wittboldt-Müller Nursery. It is described as being upright in habit and slow-growing, with blue leaves

A. koreana × A. pinsapo

Seemingly a recent cross, perhaps of Dutch origin; Auders & Spicer suggest forms of it were first cultivated by Wiel Linssen in the 1990s. Another was raised in Germany prior to 2006. Some have a very complex parentage, involving a back-crosses with named selections of one or both of the parent species, and it remains to be seen whether these will be stable enough to gain a foot hold in collections (Auders & Spicer 2012).

Foliage and pollen cones on an Abies koreana × pinsapo hybrid, tentatively named 'Spanish Blue'. Image Derek Spicer.

A. koreana × A. procera

A recent cross, possibly raised by the late Aris Auders. Auders & Spicer (2012) give very little information, merely noting its existence, although with the unfortunate fashion for increasingly bizarre crosses we probably haven’t heard the last of it.