Picea orientalis (Oriental Spruce)

Michael's Opinion

A very elegant, stately tree. The Norway spruce is much more common, partly due to its cold hardiness and greater availability, but the Oriental Spruce is a much nicer specimen, due to is graceful habit and rich colour. This is a class tree!

Botanical Information

FamilyPinaceae
GenusPicea
Speciesorientalis
CategoryWoody
TypeTree (evergreen)
OriginIntroduced into cultivation in 1827.
Pronunciation

Details

USDA Hardiness Zone4
USDA Hardiness Ref.
Canadian Hardiness Zone2a
Canada Hardiness Ref.
RHS Hardiness ZoneH7
RHS Hardiness Ref.
Temperature (°C)-34 - (-29)
Temperature (°F)-30 - (-20)
Height20 - 35 m
Spread4 - 6 m
GrowthSlow
Flowering PeriodApril

Description and Growing Information

General DescriptionVery dense tree, slightly pendulous branching, elegant form. Often used as a specimen tree. Tolerates many soils conditions, such as thin, gravely soils and to an extent drought.
ID CharacteristicHas the shortest needles of all spruces, less than 1 cm in length. Needles are dark green, sometimes almost black, and are four sided. Male cones are red and strawberry-like. Female cones are deep purple when young, turning brown with age.
ShapeBroadly columnar when mature, slightly pyramidal when young.
LandscapeThis is an excellent specimen tree, but it can also be used as a screen. It needs some protection from cold winter winds to prevent browning.
PropagationPropagation by seed needs no pre-treatment. Seeds should be collected in autumn.
CultivationCan be grown in a variety of soils, even very rocky soil. This tree needs shelter from cold winter winds to prevent browning and requires full sun to part shade.
PestsRelatively pest and disease free, although common spruce problems such as mites, aphids, bagworms and spruce gall may pose a minor problem.
Notable SpecimensNiagara Parks Botanical Gardens, Niagara Falls, Ontario. Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England.
HabitatNative to Asia Minor, grows in a variety of conditions, such as poor gravely soils.
Bark/Stem DescriptionBrown, exfoliating, becoming cracked with age, forming thin, small plates.
Flower/Leaf Bud DescriptionOne of the last spruces to bud in the spring, buds are dark red or purple, turning brown as they mature.
Leaf DescriptionGlossy, dark green. Four sided needles with 1-4 stomatic lines on each side. Needles hold colour well during the winter if protected from winds. Needles are short, about 1cm in length.
Flower DescriptionMonoecious, red, strawberry-like males. Flowers are fairly inconspicuous and don’t have much ornamental value. Female flowers emerge purple, turning brown.
Fruit DescriptionSmall red, strawberry-like cones on males, purple cones on females when young, turning brown. Cones are 5-10 cm long, and not ornamentally significant on large, mature trees.
Colour DescriptionNeedles are glossy, dark green, male cones are red, female cones are purple, turning brown. Bark is cracked, scaly, brown when mature, pinkish-grey when young.
Texture DescriptionMedium. Foliage is very refined; this tree stands out in the landscape compared to other large evergreens.

Photographs