Abies balsamea 'Hudsonia' is a very hardy dwarf selection of balsam fir that forms a rounded mound of very dark green needles that have a distinct parting on the branches in contrast with the more common cultivar 'Nana' whose needles are more radially arranged. After 10 years, a specimen can be considered mature at 2 feet (60 cm) tall and 3 feet (90 cm) wide, a growth rate of 3 to 4 inches (7.5 - 10 cm) per year, more outward than upward.
This cultivar originated as a natural mutation of the species found in the wild in New Hampshire's White Mountains. It has been in the nursery trade since the early 1800s and was first confirmed as distinct by Humphrey Welch in 1966.
