The balsam fir is a medium-sized tree, 50 to 60 feet in height. It is native
to northeast Iowa where it grows on moist slopes.
The leaves are blunt needles 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long, dark green on the upper surface to silvery white on the lower surface and spreading at nearly right angles to the branch.
The fruit is an oblong, cylindrical cone 2 to 4 inches long, purplish in color and growing upright on the upper branches. When ripe, the cone breaks up into pieces, so one never finds a mature cone on the ground.
The brown bark breaks into small plates covered with scales. The
young bark is often covered with pitch blister, hence the name "balsam."
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