Woody > Picea > Picea pungens > Picea pungens 'Koster'
Picea pungens
'Koster'
Koster Colorado Spruce or Koster Blue Spruce
Mike's
Opinion
"
A beautiful evergreen good for mass planting or to compliment a conifer garden as well as being very low maintenance.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Pinaceae |
| Genus |
| Picea |
| Species |
| pungens |
| Cultivar |
| 'Koster' |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (evergreen) |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 3 - 7 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 4b - 6b |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -40C - ( -12C) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| -40 - 10 F |
| Height |
| 9 - 18 m |
| Spread |
| 3 - 6 m |
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| A small to medium sized evergreen. Aesthetically desirable due to its brilliant silver/blue tinge to the needles and most commonly used as Christmas trees. |
| Landscape |
| Aesthetically pleasing to the eye, they can be used as a center piece or possibly as a distraction point. Also a good grouping plant and a wind break. |
| Cultivation |
| Very adaptable as well as more drought tolerant then other Picea. Prefers rich, moist soils and full sunlight. |
| Shape |
| Pyramidal. |
| Growth |
| Medium |
| ID Characteristic |
| Medium sized evergreen tree with a pyramidal shape to it. It has a horizontally thick branches that go to the ground. Also has evergreen style pin leaves that have a blue/grey tinge to their colour as well as interesting grey bark. |
| Pests |
| Vulnerable to spruce gall aphids as well as Cytospora canker, which can infect the lower branches. |
| Habitat |
| Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Scaly bark with a purple/greyish colour to it. Although it is scaly, it is also soft. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Long pointed, broadly conical to nearly spherical buds. Buds are yellow/brownish with loosely appressed scales and a blunt re-flexed apex. |
| Leaf Description |
| Leaves are blue/greyish and are needle like. They are very thick and sharp as well as 4 sided. Leaves are covered in a glaucous wax and are arranged in a radial pattern. Leaves get to be 7 - 14 cm long. |
| Flower Description |
| Monoecious flowers with a green or purple pistillate in colour. |
| Fruit Description |
| Picea pungens are conifers and they produce cones. |
| Colour Description |
| Leaves are blue/greyish year round with purple/greyish bark along with orange and brown shoots. |
| Texture Description |
| Thick, waxy, and sharp leaves as well as soft scaly bark. |
| Notable Specimens |
| The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. |
| Propagation |
| Grafted onto a seedling understock that is done in January or February inside a greenhouse which is then placed under lath or lined out in the spring. Seeds require no pre-treatment. |
References
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