Norway Spruce
Picea abies · Evergreen, Coniferous, Softwood
Plant Family
Pinaceae
Tree Category
Conifer, Shade Tree, Timber Tree, Landscape Tree
Variety / Cultivar
Standard species type
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 2 to 7, demonstrating excellent cold hardiness and adaptability to northern climates.
About This Tree
A large, fast-growing evergreen conifer featuring a pyramidal growth habit with strong horizontal branches and characteristically drooping branchlets. It has dense foliage, a straight trunk, and serves as an excellent windbreak or specimen tree at maturity.
Leaf Characteristics
Needle-like leaves that are stiff, four-sided in cross-section, dark green, about 0.5 to 1 inch long, arranged spirally on woody pegs called sterigmata, remaining on the tree for several years.
Bark Characteristics
Greyish-brown to reddish-brown bark that becomes scaly and flaky with age, developing shallow fissures on mature trunks.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe; widely naturalized and planted across North America and other temperate regions.
Growing Season
Evergreen with year-round foliage; new growth emerges in late spring as bright green shoots; pollen cones shed in spring, seed cones mature in autumn.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Thrives in full sun; requires moderate watering when young to establish root systems, becoming moderately drought-tolerant once established, preferring well-drained acidic soils.
Mature Size
Reaches a mature height of 40 to 60 feet (often much taller in its native range up to 100+ feet) with a spread of 25 to 30 feet; fast growth rate; can live for centuries.
Special Characteristics
Valuable timber and pulpwood source, excellent windbreak capability, highly adaptable to various soil types, resistant to many urban pollutants, and widely used as a traditional Christmas tree.
Wildlife & Ecology
Provides crucial winter cover and nesting sites for various bird species and small mammals; seeds are consumed by squirrels, crossbills, and other granivorous birds.