The fir tree, or abies in Latin, is one of the most recognised trees in the world, thanks to its role during Christmas celebrations across the planet in December. It's one of the first trees we are exposed to, and an enduring memory for millions of people. It forms a fundamental part of our ideas of the festival, and dominates the living space of homes, central meeting places in towns, and a gathering place on the most important morning of the festival.
Obviously, the Romans did not have the tradition of the Christmas tree, the very earliest origins of which are in a story of Saint Boniface, said to have occurred in 723. He felled a pagan oak, only to reveal a baby fir, which he declared the symbol of his god, since it was evergreen, and pointed to the heavens.
In the Roman world, the fir was prized not for its role in ceremonies, but as a material for ships, specifically warships. This was a trait which had first been identified by Theophrastus, a Greek writer from the 4th century BCE. In the Historia Plantarum (History of Plants), Theophrastus tells us that certain trees are better for certain types of ships:
Fir is best for a warship.
Pine is best for merchant ships.
If you have no fir, use cedar.
Cedar, as an alternative option, is expensive, and typically used as a luxury item. Fir is of high quality, straight timbered, and fast growing. If a ship is destroyed in war, it will need to be replaced, and possibly replaced quickly. Pine is more accessible, but similarly straight and resinous to fir.
An unfortunate consequence of fir wood, however, is the lack of undergrowth. Plants struggle in the shade of a fir tree, since they lack the light necessary for growth. This led to a (very) rudimentary understanding of photosynthesis for one Roman world, and Pliny the Elder deduced that the lack of growth was for one simple reason: the shade of fir trees must be poisonous (Natural History 17.91).
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