The Geography of Phytochemical Races

142 3 After the Ice
Fig. 3.7 Common terpenes seen in conifer studies
fi rs are A. amabilis (Dougl.) Forbes (Pacifi c silver fi r), A. balsamea (L.) Miller
(balsam fi r), A. concolor (Gord. & Glend.) Lindl. (lowland white fi r), A. grandis
(Dougl.) Lindl. (grand fi r), A. magnifi ca A. Murr. (California red fi r), and A. procera
Rehder (syn. A. nobilis) (noble fi r).
Zavarin and his associates have described detailed analyses of the terpenoid constituents
of several species of fi r. We can start with their study of A. amabilis collected
throughout the range of the species (Zavarin et al., 1973). The Pacifi c silver
fi r occurs from southeastern Alaska to northern California at mid to higher elevations
with a major contribution to the forest fl ora in coastal British Columbia, the
Olympic Mountains (Washington), and in the Cascade Mountains in Washington
and Oregon. It is represented in California in only a few sites in the north. Analysis
of cortical terpenoids from over 100 trees from 15 sites revealed a comparatively