Woody > Picea > Picea abies > Picea abies 'Repens'
Picea abies
'Repens'
Origin: Horticultural Origin. The country of origin of the main species is Norway and has spread throughout Europe and into North America. Picea abies ‘Repens’ has been known in arboretums since the 1800’s. The first person to write about it in a botanical study was Simon-Louis Frères in 1898.
Mike's
Opinion
"
A very good shrub for a broad dense ground cover. The variety of light green and dark green needles in different seasons provide a variety of colour in the landscape. A very good planting if residents have deer and rabbit problems, as they will not eat them. Picea abies ’Repens’ can be pruned into many shapes and if done properly can provide a flowing look in the landscape. Perfect for a low maintenance garden as little pruning is required. A very long living specimen that can live upwards of 50 years, does not require any plants in front as it will fill in patches over time.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Pinaceae |
| Genus |
| Picea |
| Species |
| abies |
| Cultivar |
| 'Repens' |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (evergreen) |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 2b - 7a |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 0b - 6b |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H6 - H7 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-46) - (-40) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| (-50 ) - (-40) |
| Height |
| 0.6 - 0. 9 m |
| Spread |
| 1.2 - 1.5 m |
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Picea abies ‘Repens’ is a very easy to grow shrub, it’s very tolerant to urban environments and urban landscapes. Shoots come out of the main trunk at a 45-degree angle. Light green needles in the spring becoming dark green in summer through to winter. Flowers and fruit provide no ornamental value to the landscape. |
| Landscape |
| Picea abies ‘Repens’ is a slow growing conifer groundcover. Suggested uses of this cultivar in the landscape are mass plantings, on slopes and rock overhangs and can make a beautiful accent with grasses and other flowering plants. Mainly used in urban environments due to its resilience towards poor soil conditions. Two of the most common accent plants used with Picea abies ‘Repens’ are Hydrangeas and Barberry. Suggested to be combined with boulders and other larger rocks to act as an accent since it will not grow to extreme heights and stay relatively condensed. Picea abies ‘Repens’ can also be used as a hedge or windbreak. If pruned and maintained this plant makes a very dense wide spread hedge. |
| Cultivation |
| Picea abies ‘Repens’ prefers full to partial sun for optimal growing conditions. It prefers evenly wet soil and will die if left in standing water. It Will do well at varying pH but prefers either slightly acidic or slightly basic, and can still strive with environmental salts present. A very urban tolerant plant that will strive in populated landscapes and urban conditions. |
| Shape |
| Can have a Pyramidal shape with either a conical or rounded canopy. Usually pruned into a flat-topped groundcover. Most found in the landscape are lowered to the ground and used as ground cover. Can be pruned into uses for windbreaks and hedges. Branchlets overlap each other and have a slight curve. Typically very broad, and can be pruned into a mound shape. |
| Growth |
| Slow |
| ID Characteristic |
| Picea abies ‘Repens’ have a dark green foliage colour from summer to winter and then turn into a light green colour in the spring. Branches have a beautiful warm orange yellowish colour on the underside. Very tolerable of urban soils. Planted as masses for ground cover and along fence lines. Fairly dense needle arrangement. Very tolerant of urban environments and can grow in a variety of soil types and pH. A fine textured needle, not prickly and painful if the hand were to come into contact. If a needle is peeled off of the stem it will produce a heel. Very broad and tightly compact, with a slight curve to branches. |
| Pests |
| Mites are one of the most common pests. They are most common in the summertime when the air is very dry. They are most commonly found by buildings and other urban locations due to the fact that it reflects heat. When mites are present, yellowing at the base of the oldest needles will be present. Picea abies are commonly attacked by two galls; one of those being the Eastern Spruce gall adelgid, forming at the base of the twigs. The second is Cooley’s Spruce gall adelgid, forming like small cones on tips of branches. Gall adelgid does not cause harm to the tree; only results in cosmetical issues when present. Bagworms make a sack by webbing debris and needles together. Picking them by hand is the most useful pest preventive measure to control bagworms. In Northern climates one of the more apparent pests are Spruce budworm larvae. They feed on developing buds and young newly formed needles. Pine needle scale is another notable pest, they feed on needles only and are an elongated scale. A very common disease that affects Picea abies 'Repens’ is Cytospora Canker. It works by attacking a branch and then spreading through it, eventually decimating the entire branch. Lower branches are much more susceptible than higher branches, but it starts at the lower branches and works its way to higher branches. It turns the needles a red brown colour and forces the needles to drop. A key identification of Cytospora Canker is white resin leaking from branches. One of the most notable diseases present in many spruce trees is needle cast. This disease causes needles to turn a brown yellow colour and eventually drop off the branches. This disease attacks younger needles first then moves its way along the branch. |
| Habitat |
| Horticultural origin. The main species Picea abies is native to Norway, thus all cultivars have a horticultural origin. Picea abies cultivars are created mainly through cuttings and can be created through tissue cultures. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| The bark has a grey brown colour with little peeling thin scales. Stems have a slight orange yellow colour to their branches which provide a key identification feature. The main species Picea abies has a thick bark that has flaky scales as the tree matures. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| The tree produces a light pink flower and is very discrete and small. The leaves have an alternate spiral arrangement. The foliage has a dark green colour through the winter and summer months, and a light green colour in the autumn. The bud is a beautiful light orange colour. Typically around 5 cm in size. The tree flowers in spring and flowers are not bold or showy. Terminal buds typically come in groups of 3. |
| Leaf Description |
| The leaf arrangement is an alternate spiral leaf arrangement. The leaf type is simple with an entire margin. The leaves have a needle-like shape and parallel venation. They are typically about 3 cm long and are a dark green colour through the year aside for during spring, where they are light green. Very dense needle arrangements that are typically quite soft compared to other specimens such as Picea pungens f. glauca. |
| Flower Description |
| The flowers are monecious. Flowers are not frequently found on male specimens, but on females the flowers can be found on the terminal and are spread around on the crown of the tree. They are reddish pink in colour and much flashier on female specimens. Flower sizes are typically quite small, measuring about 1.5 cm - 2 cm. |
| Fruit Description |
| Does not often bare cones as it’s a cultivar. If it does, female cones are typically quite small and are a thin woody scale cone. The main species Picea abies cones are cylindrical and typically about 10 cm long. They tend to be purple or green in the youth stage of a plants life, and turn light brown as the plant ages. The seeds are typically a black to dark brown colour and are most easily distributed by wind. |
| Colour Description |
| The foliage in the spring is a light green colour, and dark green throughout the rest of the year. The bark is a grey brown like colour. Since Picea abies ‘Repens’ is a cultivar it rarely produces cones, but if it does they’re typically a green purple colour in the spring, turning to a brown towards winter. Flowers are a light pink colour, and are not very attractive. |
| Texture Description |
| Picea abies ‘Repens’ is a fine textured tree. The texture stays the same from season to season. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Bayard Cutting Arboretum, Oakdale, New York has a notable specimen of Picea abies ‘Repens’. |
| Propagation |
| Picea abies ‘Repens’ can be cultivated from cuttings and tissue cultures. A mature healthy specimen must be found and a 1 year old or younger branch must be cleanly cut. Any needles should be removed before planting. The stem should be dipped into water and then rolled into a rooting hormone. The cutting should be inserted into a medium or coarse sand rooting medium with a mix of peat moss. A hole should be poked into the media, no deeper than 5 cm. The cutting should then be inserted and lightly watered. Tissue cultures involve taking an immature or mature seed embryo and placing them into a nutrient rich medium that contains plant growth regulators. This is how embryonic tissue is created for Picea abies ‘Repens’. The process of Somatic embryogenesis imitates the development of a plant inside the seed. These tissue cultures can be stored in liquid nitrogen for future use, as well they can be transferred into other plant growth regulator mediums to invoke faster development. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer) |
| Male catkins can be used as a flavouring in food and medicine. Immature female cones can be cooked and eaten, they provide a sweet sticky taste and texture. Inner bark of the tree can be ground up into a powder form and used as a thickener. Seeds can be eaten, they provide a ripe taste and have a sap-like taste. Young shoot tips can be harvested and used for a tea which provides an abundant amount of vitamin c. Typically medicinal uses involve using the buds, leaves and resin and provide many different medicinal properties. They can be used for antibiotics, antiseptics, and sedatives. The use of sap can be used to apply on boils to relieve pain. |
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