The structure of variation and correlations in Abies amabilis from southwestern British Columbia as assessed through a provenance test

Abstract

Four provenances of Abies amabilis (Dougl.) Forbes from southwestern British Columbia planted in 1980 on southern Vancouver Island were compared using the following variables: leader growth in length over 3 different years, leader diameter, needle lengths on the leader and side branches, and internode length. These variables can all be related to specific developmental phenomena. The four provenances were poorly differentiated in all features, aside from internode length. The low among-provenance differentiation parallels the low among-population, half-sib, and full-sib family variation seen in other conifers. However, in spite of the low among-provenance differentiation, the provenances exhibited different correlations among the variables measured.