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Woody > Picea > Picea orientalis > Picea orientalis

Picea orientalis


Oriental Spruce




Origin:  Introduced into cultivation in 1827.
            Mike's Opinion

this is Mike

"

A very elegant, stately tree. The Norway spruce is much more common, partly due to its cold hardiness and greater availability, but the Oriental Spruce is a much nicer specimen, due to is graceful habit and rich colour. This is a class tree!



Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)

"

Family
Pinaceae
Genus
Picea
Species
orientalis
Category
Woody
Type
Tree (evergreen)
Pronunciation
USDA Hardiness Zone
4
Canadian Hardiness Zone
2a
RHS Hardiness Zone
H7
Temperature (°C)
-34 - (-29)
Temperature (°F)
-30 - (-20)
Height
20 - 35 m
Spread
4 - 6 m
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
April
General Description
Very dense tree, slightly pendulous branching, elegant form. Often used as a specimen tree. Tolerates many soils conditions, such as thin, gravely soils and to an extent drought.
Landscape
This is an excellent specimen tree, but it can also be used as a screen. It needs some protection from cold winter winds to prevent browning.
Cultivation
Can be grown in a variety of soils, even very rocky soil. This tree needs shelter from cold winter winds to prevent browning and requires full sun to part shade.
Shape
Broadly columnar when mature, slightly pyramidal when young.
Growth
Slow
ID Characteristic
Has the shortest needles of all spruces, less than 1 cm in length. Needles are dark green, sometimes almost black, and are four sided. Male cones are red and strawberry-like. Female cones are deep purple when young, turning brown with age.
Pests
Relatively pest and disease free, although common spruce problems such as mites, aphids, bagworms and spruce gall may pose a minor problem.
Habitat
Native to Asia Minor, grows in a variety of conditions, such as poor gravely soils.
Bark/Stem Description
Brown, exfoliating, becoming cracked with age, forming thin, small plates.
Flower/Leaf Bud Description
One of the last spruces to bud in the spring, buds are dark red or purple, turning brown as they mature.
Leaf Description
Glossy, dark green. Four sided needles with 1-4 stomatic lines on each side. Needles hold colour well during the winter if protected from winds. Needles are short, about 1cm in length.
Flower Description
Monoecious, red, strawberry-like males. Flowers are fairly inconspicuous and don’t have much ornamental value. Female flowers emerge purple, turning brown.
Fruit Description
Small red, strawberry-like cones on males, purple cones on females when young, turning brown. Cones are 5-10 cm long, and not ornamentally significant on large, mature trees.
Colour Description
Needles are glossy, dark green, male cones are red, female cones are purple, turning brown. Bark is cracked, scaly, brown when mature, pinkish-grey when young.
Texture Description
Medium. Foliage is very refined; this tree stands out in the landscape compared to other large evergreens.
Notable Specimens
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, Niagara Falls, Ontario. Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England.
Propagation
Propagation by seed needs no pre-treatment. Seeds should be collected in autumn.
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