Norway Spruce
Picea abies · Evergreen Coniferous Softwood
Plant Family
Pinaceae
Tree Category
Conifer / Evergreen / Shade & Timber Tree
Variety / Cultivar
Species type (Picea abies), widely planted across northern and central Europe and North America.
Hardiness Zones
Thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 7.
About This Tree
Large, fast-growing evergreen conifer with a straight trunk, pyramidal form in youth that often becomes more weeping and pendulous in mature secondary branches. Dense dark green foliage and prominent cylindrical hanging cones.
Leaf Characteristics
Needle-like leaves, roughly four-sided (quadrangular) in cross-section, stiff, sharp-pointed, dark green, about 0.5 to 1 inch long, attached singly on tiny peg-like projections called sterigmata.
Bark Characteristics
Reddish-brown to greyish-brown bark that exfoliates in thin, flaky scales on young trees, becoming furrowed and scaly plates on older mature trunks.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe; widely naturalized and planted globally in temperate zones.
Growing Season
Evergreen conifer maintaining foliage year-round; new growth emerges as bright green candles in spring, cones develop in summer and mature by autumn.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun for best development; prefers moist, well-draining acidic soils; moderate drought tolerance once established.
Mature Size
Reaches a mature height of 40 to 60 feet in landscape settings (up to 100+ feet in native forests) with a spread of 25 to 30 feet; fast growth rate.
Special Characteristics
Extensively used for timber, paper pulp, and traditionally as a popular Christmas tree; highly wind-firm with strong wood and good pollution tolerance.
Wildlife & Ecology
Provides crucial winter cover and nesting sites for various forest birds and mammals; seeds are eaten by squirrels and crossbills.