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Picea abies

(L.) H.Karst.

Norway Spruce

Pinaceae

Picea abies is a coniferous tree species in the family Pinaceae. It is native to boreal Europe and the European mountain ranges, but is commonly cultivated and naturalized elsewhere, and used as a timber tree.

Description

Picea abies is a large tree, growing up to 50 or even 60 m tall with a trunk that grows up to around 1.5 m in diameter, forming a conical crown. Branches are horizontal or drooping. Needles are stiff and curved somewhat forward, around 1 to 2.5 cm long, square in cross section with a pointed but not spiny tip. They are dark green with two to four pale bands (which are stomata) on all sides of the needles. As with other species in the genus Picea, the needles are attached to the twig via a woody "peg" that persists after the needle has fallen. Buds are 4 to 7 mm long, generally not resinous. The bark is grayish and scaly. Twigs are orange brown and are hairless or slightly hairy. Pollen cones are around 1 to 2.5 cm, purplish red. Seed cones are around 10 to 20 cm long, hanging down from the branchlets. They are green, ripening to brown. The cone scales are diamond-shaped, thin, woody, and stiff. The seeds are 3 to 5 mm long, with a wing that is 10 to 15 mm long (Eckenwalder 2009).

The Siberian spruce (Picea obovata) is similar to this species, but the needles are bright green, the twigs are fuzzy and the cones are smaller, at 5 to 8 cm long. Nevertheless, it is sometimes considered part of this species and hybridizes to form the Finnish spruce (Picea × fennica) where its range overlaps in northeastern Europe (Eckenwalder 2009). Otherwise, the large cones and strongly drooping branches make it distinctive. The Brewer spruce (Picea breweriana) also has long cones and drooping branches, but is endemic to the Siskiyou Mountains, and differs in its flat needles and rounded cone scales (Sibley 2009).

Uses

​Note: Please see the disclaimer regarding any information about medical or edible uses.

Picea abies is commonly cultivated as an ornamental, with many cultivars available including dwarf forms (Farjon 2017). It prefers acidic, moist, well-drained soils and full sun, and grows in USDA zones 2 to 7. It does not do well in areas with very hot summers (MBG). In Europe, it is common as a Christmas tree (Farjon 2017).

Picea abies is important as a timber tree in Europe, where the wood is used for pulpwood, furniture, and specialty uses such as musical instruments. The front of some of the famous Stradivarius violins, for example, are made with wood of this species (Farjon 2017). One hypothesis for the supposed higher sound quality is that those trees grew during the Maunder Minimum between the 17th and 18th centuries, with lower temperatures causing the wood to become denser and more uniform (Burckle and Grissino-Mayer 2003).

Distribution

Picea abies is a major component of the boreal forest and alpine mountains of Europe, where it grows at elevations of up to 2000 m. It is native to Europe, primarily located in the Alps, Dinaric Alps, Carpathian Mountains, and the Scandinavian Peninsula, east to the Ural Mountains. With the help of afforestation, it has spread to other locations in Europe (Farjon 2017). It is reportedly introduced in China, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Australia, and New Zealand (Hassler 2022). In North America, it has become naturalized in the Northeast, the Appalachians, Oregon, and Idaho (Kartesz 2015). Picea abies has invasive tendencies in areas such as New England, since it forms dense groves and a nutrient-poor, acidic soil known as podzol (Zinovjev and Kadis 2010).

Status

Picea abies is listed on the IUCN Red List as “Least Concern”, as its range is very wide, covering large swaths of Europe, and there are no significant threats to the species (Farjon 2017).

References

Burckle, L., and Grissino-Mayer, H. D. 2003. Stradivari, violins, tree rings, and the Maunder Minimum: A hypothesis. <i>Dendrochronologia</i>, 21: 41–45.<br><br>Eckenwalder, J. E. 2009. <i>Conifers of the world: the complete reference</i>. Portland: Timber Press.<br><br>Farjon, A. 2017. <i>Picea abies</i>. <i>The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species</i>. <a>https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T42318A71233492.en</a>.<br><br>Hassler, M. 2022. World Plants. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. Version 14.0; last update 2022 August 2. [accessed 2022 Aug 27]. <a>www.worldplants.de</a><br><br>Kartesz, J. T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. <i>North American Plant Atlas.</i> (<a>http://bonap.net/napa</a>). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)].<br><br>MBG (Missouri Botanical Garden), Picea abies. <i>Plant Finder</i>. [accessed 2022 Aug 27]. <a>https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=284987</a>.<br><br>Sibley, D. A. 2009. <i>The Sibley Guide to Trees</i>. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.<br><br>Zinovjev, A., and Kadis, I. 2010. Norway spruce: Yet another invasive tree in New England. <i>Salicicola</i>. [accessed 2022 Aug 28]. <a>http://172.104.19.75/plants/invasive/notes/20101024picea.html</a>.

Description

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