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Oriental spruce grows in a dense narrow pyramid of glossy dark green foliage. This is a tall, symmetrical tree with attractive pinkish gray bark that cracks and exfoliates on mature specimens. The needles are very short, less than a 0.5 in (1.3 cm) long, and closely packed all around the twigs. They are blunt tipped and four angled. The large main branches of older trees come off the trunk in horizontal tiers, and the branchlets are slightly drooping. In its native habitat oriental spruce can get over 120 ft (36.6 m) in height, but cultivated specimens are usually 50-70 ft (15.2-21.3 m) tall with a 20-30 ft (6.1-9.1 m) spread. Male flowers are a showy brick red, appearing in spring. Fruiting cones are purple at first, maturing to brown; they are about an inch wide and 2-4 in (5.1-10.2 cm) long, and droop when ripe in the fall. A couple dozen selections are listed. 'Aurea' has golden yellow new growth in the spring. 'Skylands' retains yellowish foliage all year. 'Gracilis' is a shrub to 18 ft (5.5 m) tall. 'Nana' is a dwarf shrub that gets only 3 ft (0.9 m) tall. 'Pendula' or 'Weeping Dwarf' is a shrub with pendulous branches.
Location
Culture
With its extremely dense foliage and elegant habit, oriental spruce is an excellent specimen conifer for medium sized to large areas. Many professional landscapers consider it superior to the more commonly cultivated Norway spruce. Use oriental spruce as a lawn specimen or massed for screening. The dwarf cultivars are excellent in hedges and as anchors for foundation plantings and shrub borders.
Features Steve Christman 02/02/01; updated 11/28/03
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