Picea abies
Common Name: Norway Spruce
Family: Pinaceae

EVERGREEN

Photo: Cedar Hill Cemetary, Hartford, CT

Plant is Native to: Native to northern and central Europe. Hardy to Zone 3.
Plant Height at maturity: 40 to 60 ft high, 30 to 35 ft wide.
Plant Habit and Form: Evergreen tree, with dense, conical shape when young, becomes more open in maturity. Has pendulous branchlets on horizontal branches.

Photo: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Foliage: Needles are stiff and pointed, ½ to 1 inch long. Alternate and spiral. They tend to point downwards and toward the stem tip. Medium green in color. Persist for 3 to 4 years.

Photo: Goshen, CT

Bark: Grey brown in color, with peeling thin scales.
Flower: Monoecious; female flower is pink in color, terminal.
Fruit/Seed: Cones are long and narrow, 4 to 6 inch long and 1 ½ to 2 inches wide. Light green when young, medium brown at maturity.
Growing Requirements: Even large trees transplant well. Best in full sun, in well-drained, sandy, loamy soil; tolerates slightly alkaline or acidic soil. Prefers cooler climates.
Problems and Drawbacks: Susceptible to spruce gall adelgid, red spiders, tip weevils, spruce budworm larva and bagworm. Cones may leave undesirable litter underneath. Shallow root system, therefore grass may grow poorly beneath.
Special Uses: Good as a specimen, or used in hedges, or as a windbreak. Can be a good shade tree, if evergreen is desired. Mature trees often found bordering farm lanes or driveways. Norway spruce is used in Rockefeller Center each year as a Christmas tree.

Photo: Goshen, CT

ID Tips/Remarks: Large evergreen tree with pendulous branchlets. Stiff pointed needles, that leave petiole on stem when pulled off. Long narrow cones. Adelgid galls.
Bibliography:
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/p/picabi/picabi1.html
http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/PICABIA.pdf
Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, 1998 Stipes Publishing, Champaigne, IL