aka Abies delavayi 'Buchanan's Dwarf'
Abies delavayi 'Buchanon' is a slow-growing, upright cultivar of Delavay fir. Annual growth is 1 to 2 inches (2.5 - 5 cm) producing a clumpy spreading juvenile plant and after a significant time will develop into a symmetrical dwarf upright conifer. Needles are a rich dark green and makes attractive blue seed cones. Although similar in appearance to Abies delavayi 'Major Neishe,' there are differences. 'Buchanon' is slightly more upright in its growth pattern and holds its needles more radially about the stem.
Lewis (1987) recorded this cultivar as having been received at Hillier Nursery, United Kingdom, around 1972 from W. Buchanan, Scotland, as 'Buchanan's Dwarf' allowing authorities to speculate that 'Buchanan' and 'Major Neishe' come from different origins.
(History courtesy of Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Conifers, ©2012)
