Norway Spruce Seeds 25 Count Picea abies Description Large, introduced, cone-bearing tree with straight trunk and pyramid-shaped crown of spreading branches. Height: 80' (24 m). Diameter: 2' (0.6 m). Needles: Evergreen; 1/2-1 (1.2-2.5 cm) long. Stiff, 4-angled, sharp-pointed; spreading on all sides of twig from very short leafstalks. Shiny dark green with whitish lines. Bark: Reddish-brown, scaly. Twigs: Reddish-brown, slender, drooping, mostly hairless, rough, with peg like bases. Cones: 4-6"" (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. Habitat Moist soils in humid, cool, temperate regions. Range Native of N. and central Europe, at high altitudes. Widely planted in SE. Canada, NE. United States, Rocky Mountains, and Pacific Coast region. Escaped in Northeast and perhaps naturalized locally. Propagation: Most propagation is by seed. Rooting is very easy and not a challenge. For grafting, Norway spruce is a preferred understock for a number of spruce species. It has also been a model species for use in tissue culture, and procedures developed in Norway spruce are now being adapted to other tree species of interest. Discussion Norway Spruce has been widely cultivated for ornament, shade, shelterbelts, Christmas trees, and forest plantations. The showy cones are the largest of the spruces. Numerous horticultural varieties include trees with a narrow columnar shape, drooping or weeping branches, dwarf habit, and yellowish or variegated needles. It is the common spruce of northern Europe. Norway spruce is one of the most important species on the North American Continent. More than 100 forms and varieties have been named. Although not native to the Western hemisphere, the species and a number of its varieties are commonly planted here, particularly in southeastern Canada and northeastern United States. Originally, a number of plants were established as ornamentals, with Christmas tree plantings being established more recently. It has escaped cultivation in several localities and is considered naturalized in some of these areas. In The US, Norway spruce grows from 130 to 215 feet in height, but in the United States is seldom more than 130 feet tall. Diameter may reach as much as two feet on older trees. It is readily identified by its dark green needles and drooping branchlets. Trees have dark green crown with a triangular shape. Leaves (needles) are 4-sided (rectangular in section), 1/2-1 inch long, and sharp or somewhat blunt at the tip. At the base of each needle is a twig-like projection (sterigmata) which remains after the needle is lost. Although sometimes confused with true firs (Abies), spruces in general have 1) rectangular rather than flat needles, and 2) cones which hang down rather than stand erect on the stem. Additionally, spruce cones fall from the tree after seeds are disseminated, whereas fir cones disintegrate. ""
