Abies concolor 'Blue Saphir' / Blue Sapphire Concolor fir

Abies concolor 'Blue Saphir' is a diminutive selection of White fir with short bright-Blue needles, only 0.5 inch (1 cm) long, that lighten to silver at the tips. After 10 years, a specimen will be considered mature at 12 inches (30 cm) tall and 16 inches (40 cm) wide, a rate of growth of only 1 inch (2.5 cm) per year.

This cultivar originated as a witch's broom found in 1998 on a specimen of A. concolor 'Violaceae’ by Miroslav Malík at his nursery in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. He states that the original broom was 20 feet (6 m) high in the mother tree and measured 20 inches (50 cm) around. There are many varying opinions pertaining to how the cultivar name should be spelled. Malík published it as shown here. It is commonly seen listed as, 'Blue Sapphire,' 'Blue Safir,' or simply as, 'Malik.'