Picea excelsa

Read about Picea excelsa in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Picea excelsa, Link (P. Abies, Karst. P. rubra, A. Dietr. Pinus Abies, Linn. Pinus Picea, Dur.). Norway Spruce. Figs. 2940,2941. Tree, to 150ft., with spreading branches and usually pendulous branchlets: bark reddish brown: young branches brown, glabrous or pubescent: lvs. quadrangular, acute, dark green and usually shining, 1/2 - 1 in. long: staminate and pistillate fls. bright purple: cones cylindric-oblong, 4-7 in. long, light brown; scales obovate, with erose-denticulate margin. N. and Cent. Eu. Em. 1:102. Mn. 4, p. 185; 6, p. 85. F.E. 15:350, pi. 50. H.W. 1:1, pp. 54-61. C.L.A. 11:311. G.W. 2, p. 535; 6, p. 322—Though P. Abies is the correct name for this species according to the rules of priority, we have retained here the name P. excelsa, because Picea Abies and Abies Picea might be easily confused and are certainly somewhat perplexing. It seems therefore advisable to take the next oldest names which are Picea excelsa for the Norway spruce and Abies alba, Mill., for the silver fir. This tree is extensively planted as an ornamental tree in the northern and eastern states; it is of rapid growth and is a handsome tree, with its graceful habit and dark green dense foliage, but, like many spruces and firs, loses much of its beauty when it grows old, and usually after 30 years it becomes thin and ragged in the top. It is one of the best conifers to plant for shelters and windbreaks. The Norway spruce is very variable, and a great number of garden forms are in cult. Some of the more important are the following: Pendulous or sparingly branched forms of P. excelsa: Var. virgata, Casp. (var. denudata, Carr.). Sparingly branched, with long and slender branches destitute of branchlets, spreading, usually the lower ones pendulous and the upper ones ascending. R. H. 1854, p. 102. G.W. 3, p. 523; 6, p. 607. M.D.G. 1894:31. H.W. 1, p. 63. P. excelsa var. elata, Hort., is probably a seedling of this variety and an intermediate form varying toward the type. Var. monstrosa, Beissn. (var. monocaulis, Nordl. Abies excelsa monstrosa, Loud.), is an extreme form of the preceding and is destitute of all branches; it consists only of a single st. clothed with thick rigid lvs. Var. viminalis, Casp. Branches in remote whorls, almost horizontal, with very long and slender branchlets without or with very few lateral branchlets. G.W. 3, p. 433; 9, p. 411. M.D.G. 1902:257; 1906:557. Gt. 38, p. 136. H.W. 1, p. 64. Var. pendula, Jacq. & Herincq (var. reflexa, Carr.). With pendulous branches and branchlets; whorls of branches often irregular. Gt. 48, pp. 618, 619; 50, p. 315; 52, p. 434. G.W. 6, p. 213. R.H. 1890, p. 259. Var. inversa, Beissn. (Abies excelsa inverta, Gord.). Similar to the preceding, but branches more closely appressed to the st., more densely branched, with thick lustrous lvs. Gng. 6:100. F.E. 22:765. G.M. 54:976. Gn.M. 2:24. G.C. III. 22:369; 29:263. Gt. 50, p. 317. B.H. 10, p. 300. Columnar forms: Var. pyramidalis, Carr. (var. erecta, Schroter). With branches ascending at an acute angle, forming a narrow, nearly columnar pyramid. Var. columnaris, Carr. With very short, horizontal much ramified branches, forming a narrow column. M.D. 1911, p. 260. Var. cupres -sina, Thomas, is similar. M.D. 1907, p. 252. Dwarf and dense, pyramidal, subglobose or prostrate forms: Var. conica, Carr. A dense conical pyramid with ascending branches and slender branchlets: lvs. thin and pointed. Var. Remontii, Beissn. A dense ovate or pyramidal form with short and dense branches. G.M. 54:222. F.E. 16:491. M.D.G. 1906:557. Var. Clanbrasiliana, Carr. (Abies excelsa Clanbrasiliana, Loud.). A compact roundish or broadly conical form with short and crowded branches: lvs. short and thick. M.D. 1906:222. G.M. 57:634. Var. compacta. Beissn. A subglobose dense form with slender branchlets and acute short lvs. F.E. 16:585, pl. 65. Var. Gregoryana, Beissn. (Abies excelsa var. Gregoryana, Gord.). A compact subglobose form densely branched, with short thickish pungent lvs. Var. pygmaea, Carr. A very dense, small, pyramidal form with ascending branches and bright green lvs. Gn.M. 2:23. .Var. nana, Carr. A depressed subglobose form with dense horizontally spreading branches and short sometimes monstrous branchlets. Var. tabuliformis, Carr. A low flat form with horizontally spreading branches. Var. procumbens, Carr. A prostrate form with numerous short branchlets and dense short and pointed lvs. Var. dumosa, Carr. Similar to the preceding, but less densely branched and lvs. more distant. Var. repens, Simon- Louis. A creeping form. Low, irregularly branched monstrous forms: Var. Barryi, Beissn. With vigorous thick branches and few short branchlets, dark green. Var. Ellwangeriana, Beissn. A broad growing form with crowded slender branchlets and small and thin, acute lvs. Var. capitata, Carr. Dwarf bushy form, with numerous short branchlets in dense heads at the end of the branches. R.H. 1889, p. 393. Var. Maxwellii, Beissn. A low flat dense form, the young branches brown, often with short fascicled branchlets: lvs. bright green, rigid, pointed. Variegated forms: Var. finedonensis, Beissn. (Abies excelsa finedonensis, Gord.). Lvs. pale yellow at first, becoming bronzy brown and finally green. Var. argen- teo-spicata, Hesse. Young shoots whitish. Var. aurea, Carr. Lvs. golden yellow on the exposed side; does best in a partly shaded situation. Var. mutabilis, Carr. Young shoots yellow, changing soon to green. G.W. 3, p. 556. The most important of the geographical forms are: Var. fennica, Rupr. Similar to P. obovata: cones not more than 3 in. long. N. Eu. and N. Asia. Var. medioxima, Nyland. Small tree or sometimes shrubby: lvs. thickish, shorter, lustrous, green: cones to 3 in. long. Resembles somewhat P. orientalis. N. Eu. Var. alpestris, Brugg. Slow-growing compact tree: young branchlets velutinous: lvs. shorter, usually obtusish, dull yellowish or grayish green: cones 3-5 in. long. Resembles in habit and foliage somewhat P. canadensis. In the Alps at high altitudes. There are two forms of the common Norway spruce differing in the color of the young cones: Var. chlorocarpa, Purk. Young cones green: lvs. obtusish, more appressed; leafing later. Var. erythrocarpa; Purk. Young cones violet-purple: lvs. more spreading, pointed; leafing earlier. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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