General Description | A medium-sized evergreen that can be 20 - 30 m tall with a green or silvery blue colour to it. In its native range, it grows on mountain terrain in cooler climates. Normally it is a pyramidal shape but in exposed areas can become irregular in form. |
ID Characteristic | Needles have a radial arrangement on the stem. Usually has a round
trunk with a deep crown. Branches are long and ascend in the upper
crown and curve in the lower. |
Shape | Pyramidal. |
Landscape | At an early age they can be used as Christmas trees. They excel in cooler
climates. Good for group plantings around buildings for screening
purposes or specimen use. |
Propagation | Seed is the main option for propagation. Seed are stratified under cool
moist conditions at 5 – 7°C for approximately 14 - 28 days. Cuttings
have been rooted but the success rate is not high and on a commercial
level this method is not practical. |
Cultivation | Requires well-drained, moist and acidic soils. Grows well in cooler temperatures. Not recommended for city planting because they are not tolerant of air pollution. Pruning should be kept to a minimum.
When older branches are removed it is rare for new growth to emerge. |
Pests | Notable pests and diseases are needle/twig blight, leaf casts, rusts
cankers, shoestring root rot, wood decay, balsam twig aphid, bagworm
caterpillars, spruce spider mite, and scales. |
Notable Specimens | Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Australia. Christchurch Botanical Garden, Christchurch, New Zealand. Niagara Parks Botanic Garden, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. |
Habitat | Grows well in mountain and forested terrain; it is quite rare. |
Bark/Stem Description | The bark is smooth and grey, as it ages it becomes longitudinally
fissured as well as rough and scaly. |
Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Very resinous, globose buds. Buds can be 4 - 5 mm in length and are
triangular with red-brown scales. |
Leaf Description | Leaves are spirally arranged, spreading radially and perpendicular to the
branchlet. Leaves can be green or blue-silver and have a rigid, obtuse or acute apex. |
Flower Description | Male flowers are large and red. Female flowers are smaller than the
males and they are a pale green. |
Fruit Description | Cones are 5 - 7 mm long, they are yellow with red or purple microsporophylls. There are lateral pollen cones that crown the branchlets. |
Colour Description | Foliage is green or silvery blue, purple cones with red and green
flowers and grey coloured bark. |
Texture Description | Bark starts off smooth but gets rougher and scalier with age. Branches
are stout and quite stiff. Foliage is coarse and sharp. |