Norway spruce

The Norway or European spruce (Picea abies) is a tall, straight, fast-growing evergreen conifer that’s triangular in appearance and common in the British Isles, having been planted for forestry since the 1800s. We’re all extremely familiar with its most well-known use as a Christmas tree.

Part of the spruce (Picea) family, it’s native to much of Europe and is closely related to the Siberian spruce – which some botanists even class as a sub-species.

Norway spruce can live for 1,000 years and typically grow to a height of around 40m, although some can grow up to 50% more.

They’re identifiable by their pointed, sweet-smelling, square-shaped needles (leaves) with white speckled lines and their long, hanging cones (fruit) with jagged tips. In fact, this species has the largest cones of any, measuring 9-17cm in length.

These jagged-tipped hanging cones are a feature of spruce more generally. Spruce cones are also slimmer and less woody than classic pine cones, making them easily distinguishable.

Also recognisable are their red flowers that are oval and upright if female or in stamen clusters that turn yellow with pollen if male.

Its branchlets typically hang downwards and it has a grey-brown or purple-brown bark that appears smooth but has rough scales.

This species supports a range of wildlife including beetles, various moth caterpillars and even red squirrels that love to feast on the cones.

The tallest recorded Norway spruce is in Ribnica na Pohorju, Slovenia, measuring over 62 metres in height.

Siberian spruce (Picea obovate) is closely related to Norway spruce and the two hybridise very easily.

Images: tree by Fiatlux256 (Pixabay); bud © Susan Sweeney CC BY-SA 3.0; pink female seed cones and male pollen cones (right) by  I, Mikkel52, CC BY-SA 3.0; mature female seed cone by Nefronus (own work) CC BY-SA 4.0

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