Norway Spruce

Species Name

Norway Spruce (Picea Abies)

Seed Source

Wisconsin, Midwest USA.

Character

A very hardy tree and a very fast grower. Excellent as an ornamental, forest, shade and windbreak tree. Makes a beautiful Christmas tree but only has good needle retention when cut fresh and kept moist.

Soil

Prefers well-drained soil, but very adaptable. Growth is best in full sunlight in deep, rich, moist soils.

Growth

For Christmas trees, overall color of Norway spruce is fair to excellent, but needle retention is considered poor unless the trees are cut fresh and kept properly watered. This tree generally grows taller than its relative, the White Spruce.

Needle

Makes a beautiful Christmas tree but only has good needle retention when cut fresh and kept moist. Excellent as an ornamental, forest, shade and windbreak tree.

Shade

Excellent

Aspect

Any

Description

When mature: A large, cone-bearing tree with a straight trunk and pyramid-shaped crown of spreading branches, growing to an average height of 24 m. Needles are shiny dark green with whitish lines, 1.2-2.5 cm long; stiff, 4-angled, sharp-pointed; spreading on all sides of twig from very short leafstalks. Bark: reddish-brown, scaly. Twigs: reddish-brown, slender, drooping, mostly hairless, rough, with peglike bases. Cones: 10-15 cm long; cylindrical; light brown, hanging down; cone-scales numerous, thin, slightly pointed, irregularly toothed, opening and shedding year after maturing; paired long-winged seeds. The common spruce of northern Europe; native of Scandinavia and central Europe, at high altitudes; widely planted in Canada, northeastern United States, Rocky Mountains, and Pacific Coast region. The species is adapted to cool, temperate climates. It is generally shallow-rooted. Resinous bark exudations furnish what is known as "Burgundy pitch" which is the basic material for a number of varnishes and medicinal materials.