Trees evergreen; branches regularly whorled; branchlets opposite (rarely whorled), with orbicular, depressed leaf scars and persistent bud scales at base; short branchlets absent; winter buds usually 3 at apex of branchlets, subglobose, ovoid, or conical, often resinous. Leaves spirally arranged, radially spreading, or pectinately arranged in lateral sets, linear, straight or curved, flattened, grooved adaxially, stomatal bands 2, abaxial, vascular bundle 1, resin canals 2(-10 outside China), marginal (in hypodermis) or median (in mesophyll), rarely submedian, base twisted. Pollen cones borne in leaf axils of previous year’s branchlets, pendulous, narrowly ellipsoid or oblong when young, finally cylindric; pollen 2-saccate. Seed cones pedunculate or sessile, erect, ovoid-cylindric or shortly cylindric, maturing in 1st year. Seed scales closely overlapping, often reniform, trapeziform, or flabellate, woody, base narrowed, deciduous at maturity. Bracts oblong, obcordate, or obovate, with exserted or included, sometimes reflexed cusp. Seeds borne in a membranous cup, obliquely ovoid or cuneate-oblong; wing well developed, persistent, cuneate-dolabriform or oblong-cuneate. Cotyledons (3 or)4-8(-12). Germination epigeal. 2n = 24*.

About 50 species: Asia, Europe, North America; 22 species (14 endemic, one introduced) in China.

Abies pindrow (Royle ex D. Don) Royle, Ill. Bot. Himal. Mts. 1: t. 86. 1836, occurs in Afghanistan, N India, Kashmir, and Nepal, growing on alpine lithosols, either as pure stands or with Cedrus deodara, Picea smithiana, and Tsuga dumosa, and at elevations of 2000-3000(-3700) m. It should be searched for in similar habitat in SW Xinjiang and W Xizang. It is related to A. chensiensis and A. holophylla.