As its name implies, subalpine fir occurs at high elevations and is generally 20-35 m tall. It has a long, narrow crown at lower elevations in its range, but can be stunted or prostrate at treeline. The 2-4 cm needles are blunt and bluish-green with two white lines of stomata below and a wide whitish band of stomata above. The blunt needles make the branches non-prickly when grasped ("friendly fir" as opposed to "spiny spruce"). As in all true firs, needles leave a flat circular leaf scar rather than a raised peg. The needles are thickest in the center, blunt (but can be sharp on young growth), crowded, and all turned upward. Unlike Pacific silver fir and grand fir, the branches are short and thick and do not form flat sprays. The bark is thin, grey, and smooth with resin blisters. The female cones are 6-10 cm, deep purple when young but becoming lighter with age, upright and borne near the top of the tree. As in all firs, the cones shatter without falling, leaving the central spike standing on the branch. Subalpine fir typically occurs on relatively dry high elevation sites at the crest of the Cascades. It also occurs as isolated populations on the eastern side of the Olympics at high elevations.