Norway spruce: description, care and planting, reproduction, use in the garden, photo. Common spruce, or European spruce Classification of European spruce

Norway spruce is the most common coniferous tree in western sector forest zone of Eurasia. Simply put, this is our ordinary Christmas tree, very familiar to everyone. But even in the familiar, the usual, the everyday, you can find the new and the unknown.

Norway spruce or European spruce

Common spruce is also called Norway spruce. Although in Western and Central Europe the tree grows only in the mountains. This spruce is most common in Northern Europe, Belarus, and northern Ukraine. And, of course, in the north European Russia, where it forms significant forest areas.

In the east, closer to the Urals, and in the very north of the forest zone, the common spruce is replaced by a similar species - the Siberian spruce. The species is close, but still different - with shorter and prickly needles, smaller cones, and lower height. And the ability to survive in harsher climates.

The view is different, but still close. Norway spruce and Siberian spruce interbreed to form viable hybrids. They even talk about a special transitional species - Finnish spruce.

If you carefully examine the cones of Norway spruce and Siberian spruce, you will notice differences that are considered species characteristics. The edge of the scales of Siberian spruce is rounded and smooth, while that of common spruce has small teeth and notches.

Spruce belongs to the pine family. In fact, despite the obvious differences, these trees have a lot in common. In addition to green needles, which persist for several years, Norway spruce shares with pine dioecy - both male and female cones ripen on the same tree. The structure and origin of cones, the structure of pollen and seeds, and the processes occurring during pollination and fertilization are also similar.

There are many differences. Unlike pine, spruce trees are able to grow tall and slender trees, regardless of whether they grow in a dense forest or in an open area. The fact is that the common spruce grows mainly with its apical bud. It is she who produces the longest shoots - from 30 to 50 cm annually.

Moreover, the spruce grows with its top all its life. True, provided that the apical bud is not damaged. Or for some reason the shoot bearing this bud was not removed. In this case, one of the lateral buds takes over the apical functions. But the tree will never grow tall and slender again.

The top of a spruce is always crowned with a “crown” of buds: one apical and several lateral. In the spring they sprout. And a whorl is formed. Just like Scots pine. And the age of a young spruce is also easy to determine by counting the number of these whorls and adding 5 - 7 years. During the first years of life, whorls do not form on the tree.

The lateral branches also grow annually, but are much smaller than the top. Moreover, on the side branch of the spruce, side shoots grow every year - already relative to this branch itself. These are also whorls, but not complete ones - the branches do not extend in all directions, but close to one plane. A spruce branch is formed, which we usually call a spruce paw.

The shoots of Norway spruce, unlike pine, are of only one type - elongated. Let me remind you that, in addition to the elongated shoots that grow annually, there are also shortened ones, only a couple of millimeters long. A pair of pine needles grow on them. Together with the needles, these shoots fall off after 2–3 years, or a little more.

Spruce needles grow directly on an elongated shoot. Needles, much shorter than pine needles, dot the entire shoot, arranged in a spiral. A needle sits on a leaf pad. When it falls, a leaf trail remains on the bark.

Spruce needles are flattened and tetrahedral, with a prickly top. The length of the needles is 1 – 2 cm. It stays on the tree longer. Under natural conditions, the lifespan of a needle is up to 10–12 years. True, trees growing in conditions of increased air pollution replace their needles much earlier.

Norway spruce, like other representatives of this genus, tolerates shading well. Therefore, even in a dense spruce forest, the tree crown remains very developed. Only the lowest branches dry out from lack of light. The crown of spruce growing in open areas is usually pyramidal. The branches grow on the trunk almost to the ground.

The developed crown provides the tree with good nutrients. After all, the more leaves (needles) there are on a tree, the more sugars are produced during photosynthesis. But such a crown can also cause serious problems for the tree.

In winter we get a lot of snow. Even birch trees without leaves often bend or even break under its weight. Heavy snowfalls do not cause much trouble for the common spruce. Thin, but strong and flexible branches also bend under the weight of snow. And they throw it away!

But strong winds with a large crown windage often turn the entire tree upside down. The characteristics of the spruce root system also contribute to this. Only until the age of fifteen does a tree grow a tap root. And then the lateral roots located in the upper layer of soil actively grow. Such roots cannot hold a tall tree in a strong wind. And the forest giants collapse.

Norway spruce lives up to 250 - 300 years. But it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to find such trees in the forest. Perhaps somewhere in a nature reserve. Most fir trees are cut down before reaching their centenary.

A never-cut spruce forest leaves an unforgettable impression! I had to visit such a forest many years ago. It's in the northwest Vologda region, almost on the border with Karelia, in the upper reaches of the Andoma River. Associations... fabulous. It seems that Baba Yaga is about to peek out from behind a nearby tree. Or Leshy.

Powerful columns of fir trees go up tens of meters. Their diameter at the butt is more than a meter. The branches are covered with beards of lichen usnei. It is quiet and gloomy in such a forest. The soil, dead wood, including entire trunks of huge spruce trees that have fallen from old age or wind - everything is covered with a thick layer. Only blueberries grow from shrubs, and even then not everywhere.

Where it is lighter - near a forest stream, for example - some grasses appear. The white stars of the European weekday sparkle. And in places where groundwater is close, green mosses give way to marsh mosses.

On fresh stumps in the clearing under the logging road, which had already reached these places, one can count the growth rings, which the botanists of our expedition did not fail to do. There were 250 - 300 rings.

As a result of the expedition in which I then worked, the Verkhneandomsky state reserve was created. An array of native spruce forests was taken under protection. I can’t say what’s there now...

Norway spruce is much more demanding than pine in terms of soil conditions. It will not grow either on dry sands or in high bogs. It also does not tolerate drought well. Therefore, it is less common in the south of the forest zone.

Trees spend the winter in a kind of “hibernation” state, when life processes slow down. Coniferous trees are no exception. The stomata on the needles are tightly closed - you need to save water. The roots cannot sufficiently provide the tree with it; in cold soil the roots practically do not absorb water.

However, at temperatures above – 5 degrees, photosynthesis still begins in the needles. But such temperatures are not typical for our winters.

But then spring comes, and everything begins to change quickly. Even at the turn of the seasons, during the time poetically called by M.M. Prishvin “”, on dry sunny days spruce cones open, pouring out seeds that are carried by the wind. In May, with the arrival of warmth, the buds first swell and then bloom, giving rise to new vegetative shoots.

Examine the spruce feet at this time. At the ends of the branches, large buds swelled, covered with pale yellow caps of soil scales. In some places these scales have already moved apart, or even fallen off. From under them a cluster of light green needles emerges. This is a young shoot.

Young needles differ from old ones not only in color. They are soft and not prickly at all. If the “tassel” is picked and chewed, a sour taste is felt. And no resinous taste or aroma.

Young shoots grow quickly. In May - early June, they still differ from the old ones in the color of their needles. But with the arrival of real summer, the growth of shoots stops, the needles harden and acquire their usual properties.

Almost simultaneously with the vegetative ones, the generative buds also bloom. From them appear modified shoots of the common spruce - its female and male cones. The spruce "blooms". This happens almost simultaneously with the flowering of the bird cherry.

Of course, biologists correct it - conifers don’t bloom, they don’t have flowers. But still the similarity is great, especially considering that the cones at this time look very spectacular.

There is a separate article in more detail about the “blooming” of spruce.

It is usually quite difficult to examine young spruce cones, since they are located in the upper part of the crown. Unless you're lucky... Small yellow or reddish male cones (or male spikelets) appeared on the tops of last year's shoots. A huge amount of pollen matures in sacs under the scales.

Pollen grains of common spruce, like pine ones, have air sacs, due to which their specific gravity is low. Pollen is carried far by the wind, covering the leaves of trees and grass. If it rains, yellow pollen is clearly visible in puddles.

If you still have not subscribed to the Forest Pantry blog news, I recommend doing so right now. There is still a lot of interesting and useful things ahead!

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Rice. 5.20. Norway spruce – Picea abies (L.) Karst.

European spruce cones– strobili piceae abietis
- picea abies (l.) Karst.
Sem. Pine- pinaceae
Other names: spruce

Evergreen conifer 20-50 m high, with a pointed crown.
Bark red-brown or gray, peeling off in thin scales on old trees;
young branches brown or reddish, glabrous or slightly pubescent, with strongly protruding leaf marks;
buds are ovoid-conical, pointed, brownish.
Leaves(needles) tetrahedral, pointed, shiny, bright or dark green, 20-25 mm long, 1.0-1.5 mm wide, densely covering the branches.
Male cones elongated cylindrical, 20-25 mm long, surrounded by light green scales at the base.
Female cones drooping, first red, then green, mature - brown, 10-16 cm long, 3-4 cm wide.
Seed scales woody, rhombic, convex, wavy and gnawed-toothed at the apex.
Seeds dark brown, with a wing 3 times longer (Fig. 5.20).
Pollination occurs in May - June.

Composition of spruce cones

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Chemical composition of spruce cones

Spruce cones contain essential oil, in its composition

• bornyl acetate (1.4%), alpha- And beta-pinene, delta 3-karen,
• myrcene,
• limonene, etc.;
• vitamin C,
• tannins (6.7%),
• resins,
• mineral salts,
• phytoncides.

Properties and uses of spruce cones

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Pharmacotherapeutic group. Antiseptic.

Pharmacological properties of Norway spruce

The amount of biologically active substances of fir cones has

• antimicrobial,
• local anti-inflammatory effect.

Application of Norway spruce

Spruce cones are used for treatment

• diseases of the upper respiratory tract in the form of inhalations and rinses.

Pine essential oil spruce is used in the composition of the drug "Pinabin", used as

• antispasmodic,
• bacteriostatic agent for urolithiasis, renal colic.

Spreading

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Spreading. Distributed throughout the forest zone of the European part of Russia, forming pure and mixed forests. In the far north of the Kola Peninsula, in the northeast of European Russia, in Siberia and the Far East, a closely related species grows - Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.). In the contact zone of the habitats of these spruce trees, Finnish spruce (P. ×fennica (Regel) Kom.) lives, which is a hybrid between them and is characterized by transitional features in the structure of the crown and female cones.

Habitat. Spruce trees form dense forests on rich soils, often mixed with pine and birch.

Procurement and storage of raw materials

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Preparation. The cones are harvested in the summer, in June - August, before the seeds begin to ripen, unripe. Collecting fallen cones is unacceptable.

The official species is Norway spruce, but in fact cones are collected from two other very similar species: Siberian spruce and Finnish spruce.

Drying. On racks, under awnings.

Standardization. GF XI, issue. 2, art. 81.

External signs of raw materials

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Whole raw materials

Cones oval-cylindrical or oblong-elliptical, 3-14 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide; formed by spirally arranged covering scales, in the axils of which there are larger seed scales.
Covering scales 3-4 mm long, 1.2-1.6 mm wide, lanceolate, membranous, with an elongated apex fringed along the edge, red-brown in color.

Seed scales on young cones elongated oval, greenish-brown, 8-10 mm long, 5-7 mm wide.
More mature cones have seed scales much larger - 25-27 mm long, 14-15 mm wide (in Picea obovata - up to 15 mm long and 11 mm wide), rhombic in outline (in Picea obovata - obovate), wavy and gnawed-toothed at the apex ( in Picea obovata - with a rounded solid edge); their surface is greenish or light brown, shiny in the upper part, darker and matte at the base. At the base of each seed scale there are two seeds, covered with a membranous wing.
Seedsovoid, brown, up to 5 mm long, up to 3 mm wide; the free end of the wing is up to 11 mm long, up to 6 mm wide. Resinous secretions are often visible between the seed scales.
Smell fragrant. Taste astringent, bitter.

Crushed raw materials

Pieces of raw materials of various shapes, passing through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 10 mm.
Color brown, light brown, greenish brown.
Smell fragrant.
Taste astringent, bitter.

Microscopy of raw materials

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When considering a cross section of the seed scale in the middle part, epidermal cells are visible, on both sides oval, thick-walled, covered with a thick layer of cuticle.
On the surface of the scales, especially on its inner side, simple unicellular, less often bicellular hairs of a papillary or conical shape are often found.
Under the epidermis on both sides there are 1-4 layers of mechanical cells with highly thickened and more or less (depending on the stage of development of the cone) lignified walls, penetrated by thin pores.
In the middle part of the mesophyll thin-walled chlorophyll-bearing cells are located; in more mature cones, collateral vascular bundles and resin ducts are often crushed and compressed.
Cuticle, the contents of the resin passages, as well as oily inclusions in the form of small drops in the cells of the epidermis and mesophyll, are stained orange with a solution of Sudan III.

In the preparation of covering scales from the surface, elongated epidermal cells with clearly thickened walls are visible; on the top of the scales and along the edge there are multicellular simple hairs; at the base of the scales there are 2, rarely 3 resin ducts, which reach half the length of the scales.

On a cross section of a seed, in the peel, thick-walled stony cells with dark brown contents are visible.
Seed wing cells elongated, with clearly thickened walls.

Numerical indicators of raw materials

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Whole raw materials

Essential oil not less than 0.2%; humidity no more than 13%; total ash no more than 8%; cones in which half or more of the seeds have spilled out, no more than 20%; other parts of spruce (needles, small twigs, etc.) no more than 5%; organic impurity no more than 1%; mineral impurity no more than 0.5%.

Crushed raw materials

Essential oil not less than 0.2%; humidity no more than 13%; total ash no more than 8%; particles that do not pass through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 7 mm, no more than 3.5%; particles passing through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 0.5 mm, no more than 30%; organic impurity no more than 1%; mineral impurity no more than 0.5%.

Medicines based on spruce cones

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1. They ate cones and crushed raw materials. Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory agent.
2. Pinabin, drops for oral administration (50% solution of the heavy fraction of essential oils in peach oil, obtained from pine or spruce needles). Antispasmodic, bacteriostatic agent.

The traditional Christmas spruce tree with a beautiful crown and fluffy branches has long become familiar. It is perhaps difficult to find an estate in Europe where at least one Christmas tree does not grow, and many summer residents try to plant this fluffy beauty in the center of the garden in order to decorate it on the eve of New Year's celebrations, thereby creating a cozy pre-holiday atmosphere on the site. Coniferous tree spruce ( Picea) belongs to the Pine family (Pinaceae). The genus includes about 50 species, distributed in the cold and temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere, with more than half of all species growing in the mountains of Central and Western China. In this article you can familiarize yourself with photos, names of different types of spruce trees, as well as their botanical characteristics and learn about the correct agricultural techniques for growing these trees.

What does spruce look like: photo and botanical characteristics

Spruces rarely grow as solitary specimens isolated from others, predominantly forming large forest populations. In dry places, rich spruce forests are formed - “green moss forests” with a thick moss cover and an abundance of edible cap mushrooms. In damp areas, dense but oppressed spruce forests grow - “long-moss trees” with a sparse cover of sedges and sphagnum mosses. Along the valleys of small rivers and along streams there are the most beautiful spruce forests - “logs” with rarely standing trees and lush grass. But, as a rule, spruce forests are quite dense and shady, which does not allow the formation of a dense grass cover and leads to the lush growth of mosses. In nature, spruce trees are extremely unpretentious and hardy - they are able to grow in almost any conditions. The vast majority of species are frost-resistant. Below is a description of the most popular types fir trees with photos and names.

Popular types and varieties of spruce trees: photos, names and descriptions

Picea abies- Common spruce, or European.

The most common coniferous plant in Central and Northern Europe. The species range is extensive and does not cover only British Isles and the North German Lowland. European spruce is a slender, shade-tolerant tree with a pyramidal crown and horizontally spaced branches collected in whorls. The trunk clears slowly, and often the lower branches are retained even in mature plants. Old specimens reach a height of 30-50 m and have a trunk thickness of up to 2 m. The bark peels off in thin scales and, depending on the variety, has a different color - from red-brown to gray. As you can see in the photo, the needles of the spruce tree are needle-shaped, small (1-2 cm long), prickly, green:

The cones are hanging, cylindrically elongated or ovoid. Young cones are green-purple, mature ones are brown. They ripen by the end of the first year. They fall without crumbling. In nature, Norway spruce (Picea abies) is highly variable. "Witches' brooms" can develop both on the leading shoot and on the side branches. Less common are natural mutations that completely change the natural shape of this spruce. This diversity has allowed last years cultivate and introduce into nurseries, and then into gardens, a large number of plants with different habit: type of branch arrangement, crown shape and needle color. This type of spruce is absolutely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Asgosopa

Common spruce variety. Large size. The crown is broadly pyramidal. The color of the needles is green. At a young age, fresh growths can be damaged by late return frosts. After the growing season, it forms bright crimson cones at the ends of the growths. After complete rooting, it actively grows. Annual growth is more than 30 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Pusch(synonym - Picea abies Asgosopa Nana)

Common spruce variety. Dwarf. There is no exact version of its origin. According to one of them, it is believed that it was selected from Asgosop spruce seedlings. Just like P. abies, Asgosopa forms crimson-colored cones at the ends of the growths in the spring. The crown of this variety of common spruce is wide-pyramidal. It grows more actively in width than in height. Annual growth does not exceed 10 cm. At 10 years of age it can reach a height of 1 m and a diameter of 1.5 m. The needles are small and green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Aurea

Picea abies Aurea Magnifica

Large-sized variety of common spruce. The crown is pyramidal. In the spring, during the growing season, the growths turn yellow-golden. This color, changing its intensity, remains almost throughout the year. After complete rooting, annual growth is more than 30 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Aurea WB (synonym - Goldnugget)

Mini variety of Norway spruce, 'Witch's Broom', found on Picea abies Aurea. Compact, round-oval shape. Annual growth is 3-6 cm. Pay attention to the photo - this variety of common spruce turns bright yellow in October:

During the summer the needles are green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Vagu Mazayta

Micro-variety of common spruce. Compact spherical shape. The color of the needles is stable, green. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Possible size at 10 years of age is 20-30 cm in diameter. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Berry Garden

Picea abies Blatny

Micro-variety of common spruce. Round shape. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth within 3 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Bobek

Common spruce variety. Dwarf. Characterized by an irregular pattern of branch growth. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth varies from 3 to 10 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Botanica Liberec

Mini variety of common spruce. Very compact, round shape. The needles are rich green. Annual growth is 3-6 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Bouchalka

Picea abies Brno(synonyms - Minuta WB, Minima Kalous WB)

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense round-oval shape. Annual growth is within 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Cervena Skala

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very compact, round shape. Annual growth is within 1-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Clanbrassiliana

Common spruce variety. Dwarf. Dense, round-conical shape. Annual growth is 8-12 cm. In North America, specimens are known that have reached 1.5 m in height. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Dado

Picea abies Dubenec

Mini variety of common spruce. Compact, round-oval shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Dumpy

Mini variety of common spruce. Round, slightly loose shape. The needles are green. Annual growth varies from 3 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Echiniformis

A dwarf form of common spruce, very similar in size of annual growth to mini-varieties. They vary within 3-6 cm. Compact, round shape. The needles are hard, green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Formanek

Picea abies Frohburg

A medium-sized variety of common spruce. Weeping cascading form. The branches are located close to the trunk. Annual growth is within 15-20 cm. The needles are green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Gamshutte

Mini variety of common spruce. Round, slightly flattened shape. The needles are green-blue. Annual growth varies from 3 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Gold Drift

A medium-sized variety of common spruce. A weeping, yellow-coniferous form found among seedlings of Norway spruce Inversa. Annual growth is within 10-15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Hasin

Picea abies

Micro-variety of common Estonian spruce selection. Very rare in our gardens. Dense, round shape. Annual growth is within 1-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Holub Gold

A medium-sized variety of common spruce of Czech selection. The needles are soft, yellow-golden in color throughout the season. Annual growth is within 10-15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Holub 1

Micro-variety of common spruce of Czech selection. Dense, round-oval shape. The needles are hard, completely blue before the growing season, and subsequently acquire a bluish-green color. Annual growth within 2 cm. Rare variety. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Hradok

Picea abies Humilis

A medium-sized variety of common spruce. Characterized by an irregular growth pattern. The needles are very hard and green. Annual growth varies from 10 to 20 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Husarna

Mini variety of common spruce. Round, slightly flattened shape. The needles are green-blue. Annual growth varies from 2 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Inversa

Large-sized variety of common spruce. Weeping form. A very beautiful and popular variety among gardeners. After complete rooting, annual growth varies between 20-40 cm. The needles are hard and green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Jana

Picea abies Johanka

Mini variety of common spruce. Round, slightly nest-like shape. The needles are green. Slow growing variety. Annual growth varies from 2 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Kevon

Mini variety of common spruce. Round-oval shape. The needles are bluish-green. Slow growing variety. Annual growth varies from 2 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Kirzhach

Mini variety. Natural mutation of Norway spruce. Found by one of the authors in the forests of the Vladimir region. At the time of introduction into the garden, it had a round-oval shape measuring 20 by 30 cm. The crown was located on a trunk, 30 cm from the ground. After 16 years of growing in the garden, it reached dimensions of 1.5 m wide by 1.0 m high. Does not have a clear leader. Multivertex. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Kuba

Picea abies Lhota

Mini variety of common spruce. Compact, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth varies from 3 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Little Gem

Micro-variety of common spruce. A very beautiful and popular variety. Round shape. Annual growth is 1-3 cm. At 15 years of age it is 50-60 cm wide by 30-40 cm high. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Loreley

Common spruce variety. Dwarf. Creeping growth form. By attaching the leading shoot, as well as one or two auxiliary shoots, to a vertical support, you can achieve a beautiful cascading form of growth. The terminal growths of descending branches tend to grow in the vertical direction. At 15 years of age, the crown diameter can be 1.5 m. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Luua Pari

Picea abies Malecek

Micro variety of Czech selection. Compact, round shape. Annual growth is within 3 cm per year. The needles are hard and green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Maracana

Micro-variety of common spruce. Compact, round, very dense shape. Annual growth is 2-3 cm per year. The needles are hard and green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Mikulasovice

Mini variety of common spruce of Czech selection. Dwarf, very dense, conical shape. The needles are hard, dark green. Annual growth is 2-5 cm per year. The cushion-shaped form of this variety is much less common. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Mionsi

Picea abies Most

Micro-variety of common spruce. Compact, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 1 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Muhlerin

Mini variety of common spruce. Compact, round-oval shape. The needles are hard, bluish-green. Annual growth is 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Od Goly

Micro-variety of common spruce. Compact, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Ohlendorfii

Picea abies Palecek WB

Mini variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Parsonii(synonym: Zwergnase)

Micro variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is within 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Pavelka

Micro-variety of common spruce of Czech selection. Dense, round-oval shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Pekarek

Picea abies Pet Kamenu

Micro-variety of common spruce of Czech selection. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Prokopka

Micro-variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Reflexa

Common spruce variety. Weeping form. The branches are rigid and cascading. The needles are green. Annual growth is 15-40 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Very decorative.

Picea abies Rydal

Picea abies Slavice

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Very rare.

Picea abies Sonneberg

Micro-variety of common spruce. Quite dense, rounded shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Strapac

Common spruce variety. Dwarf. Characterized by uneven growth of branches. The branches themselves are thick, the needles are hard and dark green. Annual growth within 10 cm. Completely frost-resistant, rare variety.

Picea abies Suncrest

Picea abies Super Majxner

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is 2-3 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Svata Mari

Micro-variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Svojek

Micro-variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Truba 5

Picea abies Uplaz

Picea abies Van Bemmel's Dwarf

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green, annual growth is 1 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Decoration of the collection.

Picea abies Vermont Gold

Mini variety of common spruce. Found on Picea abies Repens. Flat-round, creeping shape. After the growing season it becomes completely golden. Retains this color throughout the season. Annual growth is within 3-8 cm. Planted in the sun may burn. Recovers quickly. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Visel

Picea abies Vyrov

Micro variety of common spruce, very dense, rounded shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies WB on Pigmaea

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Wichtel

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. Very dense branching, hard, green needles. Annual growth is 1 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Decoration of the collection.

Picea abies Willi's Zwerg

Picea abies Zadusi

Picea abies Zahori

Mini variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 3-6 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Zajecice

Mini variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 3-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

• Picea abies Zvihadlo. Mini variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 2-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea abies Cukrak. Micro-variety of common spruce. Very compact, round shape. Annual growth is within 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Rare in our gardens.
• Picea abies Kobliha. Micro-variety of common spruce. Rare in our gardens. Very compact, round shape. Annual growth is within 1-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea abies Minuta(synonyms - Brno, Minima Kalous WB). Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense round-oval shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is within 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea abies Pitzi 2. Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea abies Zadverice. Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea asperata— Rough spruce

Picea asperata Mongolei

Micro-variety of rough spruce. Very compact, round shape. Pay attention to the photo - the needles of this type of spruce are hard, almost blue:

Annual growth is 1-3 cm. Tested in the middle zone for 3-4 years, tolerates planting in slight shade. Completely frost-resistant under snow cover. Recently, the species identity of this variety has been clarified.

Picea engelmanii— Engelman spruce

One of the most beautiful blue spruces. Forms forests in the mountains of western North America. Close to Picea pungens - prickly spruce. Spectacular evergreen tree with a dense narrow pyramidal crown, reaching a height of 20-50 m. The branches are collected in dense whorls, the branches are slightly drooping. The needle-shaped needles are thin, straight, 15-25 mm long, bluish-green, more delicate than those of prickly spruce. The cones are hanging, cylindrical-ovate, 4-8 cm long. Young cones are green, mature ones are light beige. They ripen by the end of the first year. They fall without crumbling. In recent years, a sufficient number of dwarf forms of this spruce have been introduced into European gardens. The gardens of Russia were no exception. Its varieties Jasper, Tomschke, Talbot Lake, Hobo, Pocahontas are compact and spectacular. A very unusual variety is Snake. The twig-like branches of this cultivar are similar to those of the more famous Norway spruce variety Cranstonii. Recommended varieties of Elgelman spruce:

Picea engelmanii Jasper

Mini variety of Engelmann spruce. Dense, rounded-flattened shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is within 3-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea engelmanii Talbot Lake

Picea glauca - Gray spruce, or Canadian spruce.

Grows in eastern North America. The natural form is similar to the common spruce, but forms a looser crown due to some “infancy” of the twigs and branches. The needles are 8-18 mm long, bluish-green and rather thin, and have an unpleasant odor. The cones are oblong, small, 3-6 cm long and 1-2 cm wide. Young cones are green, mature ones are light brown. The natural form is rarely grown in culture due to large sizes and low sun tolerance in spring. But varietal varieties are very popular. The shape of the crown and the arrangement of branches of cultivars are varied, but “dwarfs” of pyramidal and spherical shapes mainly prevail in gardens. The winter hardiness of the varieties is high, but they can be actively damaged by the rays of the spring sun. It is better to plant all varieties in partial shade, and during hot periods provide additional irrigation to their crowns. In order to care for these spruce trees as proper agricultural technology suggests, before the onset of the growing season, all varieties of this species should be treated against fungal diseases with copper-containing preparations.

Varieties recommended for planting in gardens: pyramidal-columnar - Conica, Conica Blue, Sanders Blue, Daisy's White, Sport, Zuckerhut; spherical - Cecilia, Dendrofarma Gold, Elf, Minitip, Blue Planet, Burning Well.

Picea glauca Alberta Globe

Micro-variety of Canadian spruce. Very compact, wide pyramidal shape. This spruce variety has dark green needles. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely tolerant to sunlight. Frost-resistant.

Picea glauca Cecilia

Mini variety of Canadian spruce. Compact, spherical shape. The needles are hard, dark green. Annual growth is 3-6 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Picea glauca Conica

Picea glauca Conica Blue

Mini variety of Canadian spruce. Compact, narrow pyramidal crown shape. The needles are blue, annual growth is within 3-5 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Picea glauca Daisy's White

Mini variety of Canadian spruce. Dense, narrow pyramidal shape. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. At the end of May, the growth turns creamy for 7-10 days. When describing this variety of spruce, it is worth noting that it is very shade-tolerant and frost-resistant.

Picea glauca Dendrofarma Gold

Micro-variety of Canadian spruce. "Witch's Broom" found on Picea glauca Alberta Globe. Dense, spherical shape. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth is within 2-3 cm. At the same time as Picea glauca Deisy’s White, the growths are colored yellow-cream. Recommended planting in partial shade. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea glauca Sander's Blue

Picea glauca Sport

Micro-variety of Canadian spruce. Narrow oval, somewhat pyramidal shape. Below are photos, names and descriptions of other varieties of spruce.

Other varieties of fir trees: photos, names and descriptions

Picea jezcensis- Ayanskaya spruce

A very ancient type of spruce. Grows on the mountain slopes of the Far East. A tree with a pointed conical shape up to 40 m in height. The needles are 1-2 cm long, pointed, bicolor, green above, gray and blue below. The cones are oval-cylindrical, light brown, 5-7 cm long. In culture, it is preferable to plant it in partial shade. Responsive to crown sprinkling. It has been observed in Russian gardens over the last 3-4 years. Recommended varieties of Ayan spruce:

Picea jezoensis Compacto

Mini variety of Ayan spruce. Compact, round shape. The needles are very prickly, silver-green-blue. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea jezoensis Marianske Lazne

Picea mariana– Black spruce

Grows on marshy soils and forms forests in North America and Canada. The description of this type of spruce is similar in appearance to the gray or Canadian spruce, but has grayer needles. The crown is narrowly pin-shaped, uneven, the branches and twigs are thin. The needles are 6-18 mm long, from green to bluish-green, rather thin and very dense. The cones are ovoid, small - 2-3.5 cm long. Young cones are dark purple, mature ones are gray-brown. Has varieties with different types location of branches and crown shape. Most varieties are pyramidal and spherical “dwarfs” with green or gray needles.

Previously, only one variety, Nana, could be found in gardens. In the last 3-4 years, the range of cultivars has expanded. During this time, the following varieties of black spruce were tested: Nana, Bessneri, Doumetii, Aurea.

Picea mariana Beissneri

Medium-sized variety of black spruce. Compact conical shape. The needles are soft, green-blue. Annual growth within 15 cm. Frost-resistant. Spring burning of individual branches is possible.

Picea mariana Nana

Micro-variety of black spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant and sun tolerant.

Picea obovata- Siberian spruce

Picea obovata Bruj

Micro-variety of Siberian spruce. Quite dense, rounded shape. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth within 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea obovata Kandinka

Micro-variety of Siberian spruce. Round shape. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika- Serbian spruce

A rare species that grows on the steep limestone slopes of the mountains of Bosnia and Serbia. Outwardly similar to Siberian spruce, but differs in the shape of the crown and the color of the needles. The crown is narrow pyramidal, almost columnar. The branches are short, spaced apart and raised at the ends. Young branches are brown and pubescent. The needles are compressed, 8-18 mm long and 2 mm wide, shiny, dark green above and bluish below. The cones are ovoid-oblong, small (3-6 cm long), shiny, brown. Fruits from an early age. Highly decorative and frost-resistant. It has numerous cultivars, these are mainly various dwarf forms.

Picea omorika Berliner Weeper

Picea omorika Chocen

Micro-variety of Serbian spruce. Very compact, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Cindarella

Dwarf variety of Serbian spruce. Oval-round shape. The needles are small, bluish-green. Annual growth is within 6-9 cm. Completely frost-resistant. A very beautiful, recognizable variety, still rare in our gardens.

Picea omorika De Ruyter

Dwarf. Dense, narrow pyramidal shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is about 8-15 cm. There is no exact information on its final size, but at 25 years its possible size is 3.5-4.0 m. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Frohnleiten

Annual growth is 10-12 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Fusch

Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Compact, round shape. The needles are green. Annual growth is 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Hallonet

Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Dense, round, pillow-shaped. The needles are soft, green-blue. Annual growth is 4-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Havel 2

Micro-variety of Serbian spruce. Very compact, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Kuschel

Picea omorika Minima

Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Slightly loose, round-oval, cushion-shaped. The needles are hard, dark, green-blue. Annual growth is 5-8 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

• Picea omorika Miriam. Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are green-blue. Annual growth is 3-6 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea omorika Nana. Dwarf. Very dense, beautiful pyramidal shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. At 20 years old, the height is 3 m. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea omorika Pendula. Medium-sized variety of Serbian spruce. Very dense, wide oval, flowing shape. A distinctive feature of this variety is the ability of several leading shoots to independently, without support, maintain a vertical-horizontal direction of growth. The needles are dark green-blue. Annual growth is 30-50 cm. The height of adult plants can reach 7-9 m. Tapeworm. A very decorative variety. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea omorika Peve Tijn. Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Dense, spherical shape. The needles are hard, green blue color, during the summer it changes its color to golden. Annual growth is 3-8 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea omorika Pimoko. A popular mini-variety of Serbian spruce. Very dense, spherical shape. The needles are hard, green-blue in color. Annual growth is within 5 cm. With age, it grows more in width than in height. At 25 years old it reaches a size of 2 m wide by 1 m high. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea omorika Radloff. Dwarf. Dense, flowing shape, soft, green-blue needles. To give the plant a more vertical direction of growth, the leading shoot must be tied to a support. Annual growth within 10 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea omorika Valenta. Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Compact, round-oval shape. The needles are slightly hard, green-blue. Annual growth is within 5-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea omorika Wodan. Dwarf variety of Serbian spruce. Dense, narrow pyramidal shape. Irregular growth of branches is observed. The needles are very hard, dark green. Annual growth is within 7-10 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea omorika Zuckerhut. A dwarf, possibly a medium-sized variety of Serbian spruce. Very dense, beautiful pyramidal shape. The needles are soft, green-blue. At 20 years, the height can be 5-6 m. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea omorika Pendula Bruns. A full-grown variety of Serbian spruce. Very dense, columnar, flowing shape. A distinctive feature of this variety is the ability of the leading shoot to independently, without support, maintain a vertical direction of growth of 20-40 cm. The height of adult plants can reach 10 m. Tapeworm. A very decorative variety. Completely frost-resistant - P. omorika Slavia. Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea orientalis- Eastern spruce

Forms mountain forests of the Caucasus and Asia Minor at altitudes from 1000 to 2500 m. Often Nordmann with an undergrowth of evergreen hollies, cherry laurel, rhododendrons and ivy. This variety of spruce is similar in appearance to common spruce, but has some species differences. The crown is densely branched. The branches descend to the ground and are located whorled and unevenly. Young branches are light brown, almost white. The needles are dark green, glossy, short, 6-8 mm long, and arranged very densely. As shown in the photo, the cones of this spruce variety are cylindrical-ovoid, 6-9 cm long:

Young cones are purple, mature ones are purple. One of the few spruce trees that have problems wintering in the northern temperate zone. In its cultivars, young growths, and sometimes entire branches, may freeze and lightly burn. The battle against snow and the sun's rays is especially dangerous on February and March days. In this regard, all varieties of eastern spruce planted in such conditions are considered to be conditionally wintering. Despite this, in recent years, positive experience has been gained in growing eastern spruce varieties.

Picea orientalis Aureospicata

A dwarf, possibly medium-sized variety of eastern spruce. Pyramidal, pointed shape. It is close in habit and color of young growths to Picea orientalis Aurea. In spring, it turns the growths golden yellow for 2-3 weeks. Annual growth is within 10-5 cm. Limited winter hardiness. Recommended planting in partial shade.

Picea orientalis Juwel

Picea orientalis Minima Welle

Mini variety of eastern spruce. Round-cushion-shaped. The needles are green. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Planting in partial shade is recommended. Limited winter hardiness.

Picea orientalis Schoven Horst

Mini variety of eastern spruce. Round-cushion-shaped. The needles are green. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Planting in partial shade is recommended. Limited winter hardiness.

Picea orientalis Spring Grove

Mini variety of eastern spruce. Round-cushion-shaped. The needles are green. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Planting in partial shade is recommended. Limited winter hardiness.

Picea orientalis Tom Thumb Gold

Picea pungens- Prickly spruce

The most common type of blue spruce in cultivation. In nature it grows in the Rocky Mountains, Utah and Colorado at an altitude of 2000-3500 m above sea level. An evergreen tree 30-50 m high. The crown is pyramidal. The whorls of branches are noticeably separated. The branches of young growths are light yellow-brown. This variety of spruce got its name because of its hard, prickly, dense needles of gray or green color, 2-3 cm long. The cones are oblong-cylindrical, 6-10 cm long. Young cones are green, mature ones are light gray-beige. In cultivation it is extremely resistant and absolutely frost-resistant. It has many varieties of different habitus with different types of branch arrangement, crown shape, and needle color.

Picea pungens Byczkowski

Pyramid variety of prickly spruce of Polish selection. The needles are blue-green. At the end of May, it turns the growths white-cream for 2-3 weeks. Annual growth is within 10-12 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea pungens Fruchlings Gold

Dwarf. Pyramid variety of prickly spruce. The needles are blue. At the end of May, it turns the growths white-cream for 2-3 weeks. Annual growth is within 10-12 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea pungens Hermann Naue

Dwarf. Round oval shape. The needles are green-blue. Forms crimson cones at the ends of vegetative branches. Annual growth is within 10-15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea pungens Iseli Fastigiata

• Picea pungens Jablonec. A dwarf variety of prickly spruce. Round-oval, with age, perhaps slightly pyramidal in shape. The needles are hard and blue. Annual growth is within 15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea pungens Maigold. Dwarf. Pyramid variety of prickly spruce. The needles are blue. At the end of May, it turns the growths a white cream color for 2-3 weeks. Annual growth is within 10-12 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea pungens Mecki. A dwarf variety of prickly spruce. Characterized by uneven growth of branches. The shape is close to conical. Annual growth is within 15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea pungens Nimetz. A dwarf variety of prickly spruce. Pyramid shape. The needles are blue. At the end of May, it turns the growths white-cream for 2 weeks. Annual growth is within 10-12 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea pungens Olo. Micro variety of prickly spruce. Very dense, round shape. Blue-green needles, annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea pungens Ossario. A dwarf variety of prickly spruce. Round-oval shape. The needles are hard and blue. Annual growth is within 15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea pungens Pendens. Large-sized variety of prickly spruce. Dense fastigiate form. In the first years it may have a flattened shape, but with age it actively pushes the conductor in the vertical direction. The needles are gray-blue. Annual growth within 30 cm. Tapeworm. Completely frost-resistant. There may be two different cultivars with the same name - Pendens.
• Picea pungens Saint Mary's Broom. Mini variety of prickly spruce. Round-oval shape. The needles are hard and blue. Annual growth is within 5-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant,
• Picea pungens The Blues. A dwarf, weeping variety of prickly spruce. The "witch's broom" that gave birth to this cultivar was found on P. pungens Glauca Globosa, but it is bluer and bluer than the mother plant. To give the cultivar a more interesting shape, it is necessary to fix the leading shoot at an angle of 45-60 degrees. Annual growth is within 15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
• Picea pungens Waldbrunn. Mini variety of prickly spruce. Round-tiered, flat shape. The needles are blue. Annual growth is 5-8 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea sitchensis- Sitka spruce

Grows along the west coast of North America. It is considered one of the largest among spruce trees, reaching 50 m in height. The shape is pyramidal, pointed. The needles are bicolor, green-blue. Immediately after the growing season it acquires rich silvery shades. The cones are brown, up to 10 cm long. Prefers moist soils and high air humidity. In recent years, its cultivars have been successfully tested in our gardens. Mandatory conditions proper cultivation is regular sprinkling of the crowns, as well as two-time treatment against fungal diseases with copper-containing preparations: in the spring, before the start of the growing season, and before winter. Recommended varieties of Sitka spruce: The following describes how to grow spruce in the garden and how to care for these trees.

How to grow a spruce and how to care for a tree in the garden

Adult specimens have a powerful, branched root system and do not need fertilizing. Young plants can be fed in the spring after the snow melts on wet ground with complex or combined mineral fertilizer weakened concentration. Feeding with fresh manure and feces is strictly unacceptable.

Mature spruce trees are very resistant to both waterlogging and drought, but it is not advisable to grow varietal forms in extreme conditions. Proper planting and care of spruce trees are shown in these photos:

Most species are frost-resistant. Young summer growth of spruce trees often suffer from late frosts, but grow back easily. To avoid loss of shape due to heavy snow, when caring for spruce while growing, it is recommended to tie up multi-stemmed varietal specimens for the winter. Creeping (elfin) varieties often rot away from heavy wet snow and ice accumulating near the ground. Therefore, in order to care for spruce trees in the garden as required by correct agricultural technology, branches of creeping forms must be laid on grates raised above the ground.

The use of fir trees in garden landscape design (with photo)

Seeds of most species freshly dropped from cones are capable of immediate germination. Seeds with hardened covers need awakening of the embryo, which requires a period of even low temperatures within 1-2 months. There are several ways to germinate spruce seeds. The simplest one is winter sowing in a ridge to a depth of 1.5-2 cm with mulching to a height of 1-1.5 cm. In the spring, after the emergence of seedlings, the plants are pricked out (planted with the roots pinched) or left on the ridge until autumn or next spring.

Snowmaking, i.e. sowing seeds in boxes in autumn or winter and then carrying them out under the snow until spring. In spring or early summer, after germination, the plants are planted in a ridge or left in boxes until autumn.

Varietal varieties with seed propagation weakly repeat the characteristic signs, and it is very difficult to determine them in the first year. To propagate varietal forms, the vegetative method is used.

How to propagate spruce: methods of propagation by layering and cuttings

Cuttings from young varietal plants with a compact, densely branched crown take root relatively well. Cuttings taken from wild species, especially from old specimens, take root very poorly.

The harvested cuttings are placed in a substrate consisting of coarse washed sand with possible additions of perlite, vermiculite, high peat, crushed sphagnum moss or fine sifted coniferous bark.

In contact with

Norway spruce or European spruce- Picea abies (L.) Karst. - a well-known evergreen coniferous tree from the pine family (Pinaceae), 20-30 (up to 40, and in Western Europe even up to 50) m high with a pyramidal crown. Growth in height does not stop almost throughout life, and even old trees retain their pointed conical shape. The trunk is slightly tapering, that is, it gradually decreases in diameter from the base to the top. Very large individuals have thick trunks with a diameter at the base of up to 1 m. The bark of the branches is red-brown, smooth, brownish-gray on the trunks, with an uneven surface, flaking in small areas. The branches are arranged in regular whorls, each year is marked with a new whorl, which makes it easy to determine the age of the tree by their number.
Young branches are densely covered with leaves. The leaves are single, hard, needle-shaped, up to 2-2.5 cm long and 1-1.5 mm thick, dark green, shiny, tetrahedral, pointed at the end, therefore spiny. Such leaves are called needles. Each needle lives and stays on the branches for 6-7 (sometimes 12) years, although in urban plantings the life of the needles is shorter.
Spruce does not have pronounced leaf fall: the needles fall off gradually, and new ones do not grow at the same time.
The plants are monoecious: one individual develops both male and female generative organs, collected in spikelets. Spruce, like all other gymnosperms, does not have flowers or true fruits. In the lower part of the shoot there are male spikelets, in the upper part - female ones, larger in size, reddish-brown in color. Male spikelets are elongated-cylindrical, look like reddish-yellow cones 2-2.5 cm long, surrounded at the base by light green scales. Pollen disperses in May-June, after which the male spikelets fall off. Pollination is carried out by the wind. Each speck of dust is equipped with two appendages - air sacs, which provides it with exceptional volatility. Observations have shown that the spread of pollen from a spruce tree can reach 8-10 km.
Fertilized ovules develop into seeds, and the entire female spikelet during the summer and autumn is transformed into a kind of organ - a cone, consisting of an axis and woody light brown scales attached to it; seeds are placed in their axils. The cones are hanging, cylindrical, smoothly rounded at both ends, 10-16 cm long and 3-4 cm in diameter. At first they are red, then turn green, and when they become mature, they turn brown. A good-sized cone can develop up to 200 seeds. The seeds are dark brown, ovoid, small - there are 1 05-1 10 thousand spruce seeds in 1 kg.
Spruce seeds ripen in September-October, spill out of the cones only in winter and early spring, but the opened cones themselves continue to hang on the tree for quite a long time. They fall whole, covering the soil in places with a continuous cover, and do not collapse for a long time. Each seed is equipped with a light brown wing that facilitates the dispersal of seeds by the wind. In the second half of winter, the snow is often covered with an ice crust (crust). So, the wind often blows spruce seeds across the crust over a considerable distance.
Spruce reproduces by seed. Experts have calculated that in good years there may be up to 5 million seeds per 1 hectare of spruce forest. Of course, not all of them germinate and, moreover, not at the same time. Seeds remain viable for up to 10 years. The seedlings bring to the surface 8-9 (from 5 to 1 0) cotyledons, which remain green for 2-3 years, although in the very first years real leaves-needles appear. During the first year of life, seedlings reach only 4-5 cm in height. And in subsequent years, the seedling is not distinguished by its rapid growth - by the age of 10, the Christmas tree grows by 1-2 m. Only from 15-20 years old does the growth of the spruce accelerate; it gives the largest increase (up to 70 cm per year) at the age of 35-65 years. Unlike many tree species The spruce continues to grow in height until the end of its life.
The first cones (and seeds) appear on young spruce trees at 15 years old if they grow in lighted areas. In the forest, spruce begins to bear seeds only at 25-30 years of age, and in dense plantations even later - at 50-70 years of age. It is curious that trees that are just beginning to produce seeds develop only female spikelets in the first years. Seed years are repeated every 3-7 years. The total lifespan of spruce trees is from 200 to 400 years, but individual trees reach an age of 600 and even 800 years.

Norway spruce is widespread throughout the forest zone of Europe, including European Russia, forming pure and mixed forests. Southern border spruce forests generally coincides with the northern boundary of the chernozem. This does not mean that it cannot grow on black soil - it grows well in plantings throughout the Russian Black Earth region.
In the Cis-Ural region, Norway spruce is gradually being replaced by a related species - Siberian spruce (Picea obovafa Ledeb.J, which is distinguished by smaller cones with wide whole scales. The range of Siberian spruce extends from the northernmost latitudes of Scandinavia to the coast Sea of ​​Okhotsk. In the sector between the White Sea and the Urals, it forms the northern border of the forest. This is an important forest-forming species of the Ural and Siberian taiga. In total, about 25% of the total forest area in our country is occupied by spruce plantations.
Spruce is widely grown in urban plantings, and along with domestic species, some foreign forms are also cultivated, which are particularly decorative, for example, blue spruce of North American origin. Norway spruce is widely grown in roadside plantings; in particular, it is used to line railways, which protects them from snow drifts.
Norway spruce is a shade-tolerant and frost-resistant species that avoids habitats with stagnant moisture. In unfavorable conditions, for example on the northern border of the forest, it forms an elfin form. Its root system is superficial, lying mainly in the layer of soil and ground to a depth of 0.8-1 m, so the spruce weakly resists wind blows. It suffers greatly from forest fires, even ground fires, since its bark is quite thin and the cambium tissue quickly dies from overheating. Does not tolerate high temperatures and especially dry air.
Spruce conquers new territory only with the help of small-leaved tree species, most often birch. A birch tree grows in a free area, and in this new birch forest the spruce seeds that have flown here germinate. Spruce seedlings feel good under the birch canopy (on open areas they die from various reasons, including due to strong illumination and dry air that they cannot tolerate). Young fir trees gradually outgrow the birch in height and instead of gratitude for good conditions“children’s and youth’s” life is strangled by the birch tree, creating unbearable lighting conditions with their dense crowns.

Economic use of spruce

Spruce wood serves as the main raw material for the production of paper and cardboard. Until recently, 70% of world paper production came from spruce raw materials. Spruce wood is widely used in construction (“a spruce hut and a healthy heart”), in carpentry production, in particular in the manufacture of furniture. Telegraph poles and railway sleepers are made from it. Spruce wood is irreplaceable for making some musical instruments, such as violins. For this purpose, trees that are most often chosen are those that have withered on the root and have stood dry for several years. Trees whose wood is suitable for making stringed instruments are called resonant spruce. ,
Waste spruce wood that is not needed by woodworking production: sawdust, chips, trimmings, shavings, etc., is a raw material for chemists. From this seemingly garbage, ethyl alcohol is obtained by hydrolysis, which is consumed in many industries, as well as valuable construction material- plasticizer. By dry distillation of non-commercial spruce wood, acetic acid and methyl alcohol are obtained - intermediate products of many valuable chemical compounds.
Spruce bark contains a lot of tannins used in tanning. Turpentine and rosin are obtained from resin obtained by cutting the bark of spruce trees. And these products, as you know, are in wide demand in various sectors of the economy, culture and medicine.
Unfortunately, spruce as a medicinal plant is still clearly underused. Scientists have calculated how unacceptably we waste the so-called gifts of nature. Their calculations are so impressive that I would like to present them in full, although they seem to be boring and intended for specialists.
In our country, up to 200 million m3 of commercial spruce timber were harvested annually (almost 100% of spruce harvesting was carried out in Russia, so everything said here applies not so much to the USSR as to Russia). For every cubic meter of wood there is up to 500 kg of waste, the main part of it (up to 250 kg) is woody greens (timbered branches), which can serve as raw materials for the production of many healthy products, including vitamins and medications.


Judge for yourself. Spruce needles contain: chlorophyll, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon salts; microelements: Al, Ti, Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, Ag, Pb, S, B. 19 amino acids were isolated from spruce needles, incl. lysine, arginine, glycine, threonine, valine, leucine, alanine, aspartic and glutamic acids. The total amino acid content is 0.7-4.9% by weight of dry needles.
Spruce needles are a concentrate of vitamins. The following were found in dry needles: carotene (provitamin A), tocopherol (vitamin E), phylloquinone (vitamin K), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), flavonoids with P-vitamin activity, thiamine (vitamin B), riboflavin (vitamin B2), pantothenic acid (vitamin B3), nicotinic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), biotin (vitamin B7), folic acid (vitamin B9).
And all this wealth is practically not used.
It is impossible not to mention the custom of celebrating the New Year with a Christmas tree. The custom is, of course, good, but at the same time it entails great losses for our forests.
Spruce seeds are an important winter food for squirrels and granivorous birds wintering in Russia, such as crossbills, which even hatch their chicks in winter.

Medicinal value of spruce and methods of medicinal use

Spruce has medicinal use in its coniferous branches (“paws”), which can be collected throughout the year (while trying not to damage the tree branches). They contain essential oil, trace elements (iron, manganese, chromium, aluminum, copper), stilbene, caffeic acid. It is believed that the presence of stilbene makes the study of pine needle extracts promising as sources of contraceptives.
Spruce needles contain a significant amount of ascorbic acid. As it turned out, it contains 6 times more vitamin C than lemon and orange, and 25 times more than onions and potatoes. Its greatest concentration is in winter and early spring. People have long used the paws of spruce (as well as other conifers) to obtain a drink rich in vitamin C. This drink is used to treat scurvy, and they drink it to prevent vitamin deficiencies, especially in late winter and early spring, when there are no other vitamin-containing greens yet. Add 40g of pine needles to 1 cup of boiling water, boil for 20 minutes. and insist. The resulting infusion is drunk in 2-3 doses throughout the day.
In the midst of a flu epidemic, it is useful to burn small pieces of spruce resin several times a day in the room where a flu patient is lying. The persistent resinous smell that accompanies this procedure pleasantly aromatizes the room. The resin itself and its combustion products have a healing effect on the patient and disinfect the air.
Spruce is the most ancient medicinal tree in the Russian forest. Even primitive people used it for treatment. The air in the spruce forest is almost sterile. Fans of walks through the spruce forest have probably noticed how the feeling of depression and helplessness that arises at the sight of dark green giants, under whose crowns nothing grows, is replaced by confidence in one’s own abilities and peace of mind. Walking through a green forest is very good for your health.
For throat diseases, colds, acute and chronic respiratory diseases (tonsillitis, tracheitis, bronchial asthma, rhinitis, sinusitis, tonsillitis), use an infusion of pine needles. Gargle with the decoction and drop into the nose (for vasomotor rhinitis), 4-5 drops into both nostrils. The temperature of the decoction is 35 °C.
Folk remedy for cough, flu, pharyngitis, laryngitis, bronchitis - syrup from honey and spruce buds. Spruce or fir buds are collected at the end of May, when they have grown 3-5 cm, washed in cold water, and finely chopped. % For 1 kg of kidneys - 3-4 liters of water. Boil in an enamel bowl for 10-15 minutes, strain, let it settle and strain again through cheesecloth. For 1 kg of the resulting decoction, add 1 kg of honey and South propolis extract (extract: 30 g of propolis per 100 ml of alcohol), mix well and heat to 40-45 ° C. Once cooled, pour into bottles and store them closed in a cool place. Take 1 teaspoon before meals 3 times a day.

Make a mixture of spruce resin and yellow wax (one part by weight of each component). Melt the mixture and cool. Place pieces of the mixture on hot coals, breathe in the smoke released in case of persistent old cough, chronic bronchitis.

At the same time, you can take a decoction of spruce shoots in milk orally. Pour 30g of shoots or young cones into 1 liter of milk and cook in a sealed container for 30 minutes. Strain and take in small portions throughout the day. This decoction is also recommended for the treatment of inflammatory processes in the respiratory system, dropsy and scurvy.


Green spruce cones are poured with water in a ratio of 1:5 and boiled for 30 minutes. The resulting decoction is gargled and dripped into the nose.
For kidney stones and renal colic, the drug pinabine is used, which is a mixture of essential oil from spruce (or pine) needles and peach oil (in equal parts). It has an antispasmodic effect on the muscles of the urinary tract and inhibits the development of pathogenic bacteria in them.
Take 5-20 drops of sugar 2 times a day before meals for 4-5 weeks.

You can take pinabine only as prescribed by a doctor, as there are contraindications for it.

Various ointments are used to treat pustules, wounds and ulcers. The simplest of them is an ointment made from spruce resin melted with lard.
Coniferous resin - 100g, unsalted pork lard - 100g, natural beeswax - 100g. Put everything in a saucepan. If the resin is dry, grind it into powder. Boil over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring the mixture all the time, removing foam from the surface. Remove from heat. When the mixture becomes warm, transfer it to a glass jar. Store the ointment in the refrigerator.
Rinse the wound with lime water (1 tablespoon of quicklime per 1 liter of water; let it brew for 5-6 hours, drain the water). Spread a thin layer of a cloth with the prepared mixture, apply it to the sore spot and bandage it. Change the bandage after 1-2 days. Wounds heal quickly.
Make a mixture of spruce resin, wax, honey and sunflower oil (one part by weight of each component). Heat the mixture over heat and cool. Use externally for abrasions, abscesses, and ulcers.
Mix fir resin, wax and butter in equal quantities. This ointment gives a good effect for boils.

In the forest, on a hike, one of the excellent remedies for wounds and cuts is fresh resin. Lubricate wounds, ulcers, cracks daily. Healing occurs quickly.
For skin diseases, gout, joint damage of rheumatic origin, take baths from spruce branches and buds.
To do this, prepare a decoction from the tops of young branches with buds (the ratio of plant materials and water is 1:5, boil for 30-40 minutes). The resulting decoction is added to the bath.

Fir cones are boiled with salt (100g of salt per 1 bucket of broth). The resulting decoction is added to baths for joint pain of various origins and arthritis. Instead of cones, you can use freshly cut branches.
Tibetan medicine values ​​pine needles as a means of treating burns and long-healing wounds, tree sap for diarrhea, and wood ash as an antidote.
For tuberculosis, it is good to use a vodka tincture of young shoots.
A combined preparation of spruce, fir and pine needles has a sedative effect and increases performance.

Pour winter trimmed pine needles (4 cups) with 3 cups of cooled boiled water, acidify with 2 teaspoons of diluted of hydrochloric acid. Leave for 3 days in a dark place, strain. Drink 1/2 cup of vitamin infusion 2 times a day, sweeten to taste.
They make jam from pine needles with sugar and drink tea with it for shortness of breath.
Spruce resin-resin - 20g, ground onion (crushed) - 1 piece, vegetable oil, preferably olive - 50 g, powdered copper sulfate - 15 g. Everything is thoroughly ground and heated over fire, without bringing to a boil.
The ointment has a burning effect and actively treats abscesses, bruises and bone fractures.

If pus is flowing from the ear, it is recommended to pour spruce or pine juice into it.
Five tablespoons of spruce, pine or fir needles, pour 0.5 liters of water, boil for 5 minutes. and leave overnight in a warm place. This infusion promotes the removal of radionuclides. Give patients something to drink throughout the day instead of water. A day off, then treatment again. You can alternate drinking ordinary water and pine decoction for a month (it is better to use melt water instead of ordinary water).
Fill a pan with young shoots of spruce, add cold water, put on fire, bring to a boil, cook for 10 minutes. Leave in a warm place overnight, strain in the morning. Store the drink in the refrigerator, but drink it warm, 0.5 cups several times a day.
Brew fir branches collected in September with boiling water: 1 tablespoon of chopped branches per 1 cup of boiling water. Drink a decoction instead of tea, 0.5 cups a day for uterine polyps.
According to Raphael, spruce is ruled by Saturn and is healing for those born under the signs of Capricorn and Aquarius.

It is the most common coniferous tree Europe. Its height can reach 50 meters, and the thickness of the trunk can reach 1 meter or more. Under favorable conditions it can live up to 400 years.

This evergreen has horizontally located branches with flattened tetrahedral hard green needles. Spruce cones look like an oblong cylinder, 10-15 cm long and 3-4 cm thick. They ripen in October, but the seeds fall out in January-April. The spruce blooms and begins to bear fruit at the age of 25-30 years.

Of all the types of spruce, the common spruce is the fastest growing. During the first ten years it grows slowly, but after a while the growth accelerates and the annual growth can reach 50 cm. It has a weak root system, superficially horizontal. In this regard, it has poor resistance to wind loads: spruce can very often be seen turned out of the ground, along with the root system, after strong winds.

Norway spruce is a light and soft wood with a low concentration of resins and a high cellulose content. In this regard, spruce is the main raw material component pulp and paper mills. From one hectare of mature trees you can collect up to 400-500 cubic meters of wood. Spruce is successfully used in construction; musical instruments, railway sleepers, telegraph poles, various crafts, and furniture are made from it.

Resin is collected from mature trees, from which rosin and turpentine are extracted. The bark of young trees is used to produce tanning extracts.

Branches and needles are harvested as medicinal raw materials. The cones are collected in the summer and dried under sheds. They contain essential oils, resins and tannins. Infusions and decoctions of spruce cones are used for bronchial asthma and other respiratory diseases. The needles are used in the preparation of vitamin teas and anti-scurvy concentrates. For rheumatism, it is recommended to use baths made from the needles of this tree. The needles contain a large amount of ascorbic acid - up to 300-400 mg. In addition, infusions of buds or young pine needles have antimicrobial and antispasmodic effects.

It has already become a tradition in many countries around the world to decorate spruce for New Year and Christmas, although many people prefer pine or fir.

Spruce is propagated by seeds, which can be planted without preparation, but pre-planting stratification can improve germination. Along with seeds, it can also be propagated by cuttings, which take root very quickly. You can get layering by sprinkling the lower branches with soil. At the same time, the lower branches very quickly begin to form a young root system, which is rare for conifers.

Caring for a planted plant comes down to watering and weeding the tree trunk while simultaneously removing weeds. It does not require artificial crown formation, but dried or broken branches must be removed regularly. Young Christmas trees require protection from severe frosts and direct sunlight. In hot weather, you need to regularly spray the crown with water and water it every day at the rate of 10-12 liters of water per plant.