Silver Fir
One of the symbols of ATP’s wildlife is certainly the silver fir, recognizable by its bark.
It is a native fir that disappeared for many years after the Austrians introduced the Norway spruce.
The cones of the Norway spruce hang downwards, while those of the silver fir point upwards.
Cones are the way the tree regenerates itself, because these are among the first plants to have appeared on Earth and are still very primitive from an evolutionary point of view. They are not capable of regenerating on their own, so they use cones instead.
Another unique feature of the silver fir is its leaves. They are not needles, but rather very thin leaves adapted to withstand the winter cold.