Woody > Picea > Picea omorika > Picea omorika
Picea omorika
Serbian Spruce
Origin: Southwestern Europe. Introduced into cultivation 1880.
Mike's
Opinion
"
Next to Picea orientalis this is my favorite spruce. A class plant with refined form, colour and behavior. This should be one of the first spruce to be included in the garden.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Pinaceae |
| Genus |
| Picea |
| Species |
| omorika |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (evergreen) |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 4 - 7 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 2a - 6b |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H6 - H7 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -34 - (-9) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| -30 - 5 |
| Height |
| 16 - 19 m |
| Spread |
| 4 - 7 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Awards
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Slender trunk, short with drooping branches. It has a narrow pyramidal form to it making it valued as an ornamental specimen. |
| Landscape |
| Used as a specimen planting or as a group plant. It is valued as an ornamental tree because of its graceful, slender form and interesting colour. |
| Cultivation |
| Plant in partial shade, adapts to full sun. It does best growing in rich moist loamy soils. Some protection from strong winter winds is beneficial. |
| Shape |
| Slender graceful form, with drooping lower branches with up-swept ends. |
| Growth |
| Slow |
| ID Characteristic |
| The tree is dark green with the new growth being blue underneath with a white stripe. Very narrow form with drooping branches. |
| Pests |
| No major pest and diseases. |
| Habitat |
| Grows mostly along the Drina River valley in Western Serbia; not overly wide spread. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Thin bark, coffee colour, which scales off in platelets. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Very small buds cylindrical and oblong in shape, no more than 50 mm in size. Reddish brown in colour; non-resinous. |
| Leaf Description |
| Flattened and very flexible needles 1- 2.5 cm long. The needles are green on the upper surface, blue underside with 2 lines of white dots on the lower surface. |
| Flower Description |
| Monoecious, male flowers resemble a strawberry colour and shape, 1-2 cm long. Female flowers are reddish purple, slightly larger than the male flower, they look like a miniature form of its cones. |
| Fruit Description |
| Oblong-vid 3-4 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, purplish black to a cinnamon brown in colour. Fruiting time is June through to August. |
| Colour Description |
| Appears dark green from above and whitish from below. The bark is coffee brown and the cones are a cinnamon brown. |
| Texture Description |
| It has a loose graceful form and is a medium textured tree in the landscape. |
| Notable Specimens |
| The Gardens of M building, Fanshawe College, London, Ontario, Canada and Rayner Gardens, London, Ontario, Canada. |
| Propagation |
| Propagated by seeds in the autumn, as well as cuttings. Use a cutting of a semi-ripe terminal shoot about 5-8cm long around August, roots will be formed around spring time. |
References
Widely available.
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