Picea orientalis
Species of conifer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Picea orientalis, commonly known as the Oriental spruce[1] or Caucasian spruce,[2] is a species of spruce native to the Caucasus and adjacent northeast Turkey.
| Caucasian spruce | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Pinaceae |
| Genus: | Picea |
| Species: | P. orientalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Picea orientalis | |
 | |
| Continuous range ✖ Isolated population | |
Description
It is a large coniferous evergreen tree growing to 30–40 metres (98–131 ft) tall (exceptionally to 57 m),[2][3] and with a trunk diameter of up to 1.5 m (rarely up to 2.3 m).[3]
The shoots are buff-brown and moderately pubescent (hairy). The leaves are needle-like, the shortest of any spruce, 6–8 mm long, rhombic in cross-section, glossy dark green with inconspicuous stomatal lines. The cones are slender cylindric-conic, 5–9 cm long and 1.5 cm broad, green or red to purple when young, maturing dark brown 5–7 months after pollination, and have stiff, smoothly rounded scales.[2][4]
Cultivation
It is a popular ornamental tree in large gardens, valued in northern Europe and the USA for its attractive foliage and ability to grow on a wide range of soils. It is also grown to a small extent in forestry for Christmas trees, timber and paper production, though its slower growth compared to Norway spruce reduces its importance outside of its native range. P. orientalis[5] and the cultivars 'Aurea' [6] and 'Skylands'[7] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[8] A frequently seen ornamental cultivar is Picea orientalis 'Aureospicata', which has gold-coloured young foliage in the spring.
Picea orientalis forest, Giresun, Turkey
Trees in habitat, Giresun, Turkey
Mature trees, Trabzon, Turkey
Foliage at the top of a young tree, Giresun, Turkey
Foliage and cones (with a coal tit), Giresun, Turkey
Pollen cones of cultivar 'Aurea'
