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Baltic Whitewood

Picea abies (PI-see-a A-beez)

Family: Pinaceae Non-native Canopy (>40 ft)

The Norway spruce is a rapidly growing woody, needled evergreen tree in the pine family (Pinaceae). It is native to Europe. It is the typical Christmas tree in Great Britain and has also served as the United States Capitol Christmas tree several times. There are over 150 cultivars available. The genus name, Picea, is thought to be derived from the Latin word, pix, which means "pitch" and refers to the sticky resin that is found on the tree's bark. The specific epithet, abies, refers to a similar genus, Abies or fir. When considering the Norway spruce, it is important to note that it does poorly in zone 7 in the southern United States because it prefers cool summer climates. It is best suited for a northern climate. This tree has a shallow root system, and it prefers full sun and moderately moist, well-drained, sandy, acidic soils. Norway spruce dislikes heat, wet feet, and hot, dry summers. Propagate it by seed. In the appropriate climate, the majestic Norway spruce could be used in a large home landscape, woodland, meadow, or recreational play area. It can serve as a windbreak or screen in colder climates. Dwarf cultivars may be acquired to serve as foundation plantings, specimens, or accents in smaller areas of the home landscape. Quick ID Hints: It is a 40 to 60 feet tall needled evergreen, conical with upright branches when young and pendulous branches as it matures. Needles are up to 1-inch long, green, four-sided, saber-like, and arranged on the branch in rows. Cones are pendulous, green to violet when young, and as it ripens they turn silvery-brown and measure 4 to 6 inches long with rounded scales. Insects, Diseases, and Other Problems: Potential insect pests include aphids, bagworms, budworms, borers, and red spider mites. It is also susceptible to cytospora canker, wood decay, needle cast, and rust. VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for " Trees, Shrubs and Conifers " a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 62 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 1 - Canopy (>40 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Araucaria heterophylla Picea laxa 'Conica' Picea pungens
Fills a similar niche Abies fraseri Juniperus virginiana Pinus strobus
Native alternatives Picea rubens

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in. | Width: 25 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Conical; Dense; Pyramidal
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Filiform
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves or needles are long, alternate, glossy, dense, radial, saber-shaped, stiff, pectinate with those on the upper side of twigs pointed forward, overlapping those below spreading to the right angles from exposed twigs, incurved apically, have lateral sides with 2-3 stomatal bands, are dark green, and up to 1-inch long. The four-sided needles are arranged in rows on the branch like a hairbrush and are attached by tiny pegs at their base.
Flower color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow; Green; Purple/Lavender
Flower detail
The male cones are yellowish-brown and appear in clusters along the stems. The female cones are purple and upright. When the female cones are pollinated (by wind-borne pollen), they turn green and hang downward as the cone matures.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit size
> 3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
The cones are greenish to violet when young, and as they mature they become silvery-brown. They are 4 to 6 inches long and 1 to 2 inches in diameter with rounded scales. The scales have a blunt point and rounded tips. The thin scales are irregularly toothed and cylindrical. The cones are pendulous. The seeds are black and up to 0.2 inches long with a pale brown wing.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Green; Light Brown; Light Gray
Bark detail
The bark is purplish, green, or silvery-brown. The young bark is thin, and the tree matures the bark thickens and has flaky scales.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver; Orange
Stem detail
The twigs are orangish-brown and then turn grayish-brown. The primary branches are mostly upturned, but the secondary branches rarely appear pendulous as the tree matures. The needles are spirally arranged along the branches in rows. The buds have loose, orangish-brown scales.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Europe
Distribution
Native: Albania, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Bulgaria, Central European Russia, Czechoslovakia, East European Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Northern European Russian, Northwest European Russia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and Yugoslavia. Introduced: Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, Iceland, Ireland, Korea, Netherlands, New Brunswick, New South Wales, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Southern European Russia, Spain, and the United States--CT, IL, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, VT, VA, WV, and WI.
Wildlife value
Birds, moths, and small mammals are attracted to this tree.
Attracts
Small Mammals; Songbirds
Play value
Wildlife Food Source
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall

Uses (ethnobotany)

The tree is used for timber in Europe. It is commonly used as a Christmas tree in Great Britain. Herbal teas are made from leafy twigs. It is the most widely used spruce in North America for horticultural purposes.

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Meadow; Recreational Play Area; Woodland
Landscape theme
Winter Garden
Design feature
Accent; Specimen
Garden tags
#tsc #evergreen #air pollution tolerant #needles #dark green #needled evergreen #well-drained soil #temperate #conifer #non-flowering #full sun tolerant #low maintenance #winter interest #Braham Arboretum #fantz #fast growing #bird friendly #Christmas trees #tsc-cg #dense growth #landscape plant sleuths course #HS304 #hortcontest
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Pests of Conifers; Deodar Weevil / Eastern Pine Weevil
Resistant to
Deer; Pollution
Particularly resistant to
air pollution, deer
Propagation
Seed

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.

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