The Trees of Vermont 45 



PINACEAE 



Norway Spruce 

 Picea abies (L.) Karst. [Picea excelsa Link] 



Habit. — A tree 50-70 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 1-3 

 feet ; forming a dense, conical, spire-topped crown of numerous, droop- 

 ing branches which persist nearly to the ground. 



Leaves. — Spirally arranged along the twig ; crowded ; %-l inch 

 long ; rigid, curved, acute ; lustrous, dark green. Persistent 5-7 years. 



Flowers. — May ; monoecious ; the staminate in ovoid to sub- 

 globose clusters, long-stalked, reddish to yellowish, ^-1 inch long ; the 

 pistillate in cylindrical clusters, sessile, erect, 13^-2 inches long. 



Fruit. — Autumn of second season ; sessile, cylindrical cones 3-6 

 inches long, pendent from the tips of the uppermost branches; sterile 

 scales very short, toothed ; seeds red-brown, rough, y^ inch long, with 

 long wings. 



Winter-buds. — Ovoid, acute, red-brown, not resinous, about ^ 

 inch long. 



Bark. — Twigs red- or orange-brown, smooth or corrugated ; be- 

 coming thin and gray-brown on old trunks, slightly fissured, scaly. 



Wood. — Light, strong, tough, elastic, soft, fined-grained, white, 

 with thick, indistinguishable sapwood. 



Notes. — This tree is native throughout northern Europe and y\sia 

 where it grows to a height of 120 to 150 feet. It is perfectly hardy 

 here and is the common spruce found in dooryards throughout Ver- 

 mont. As it adapts itself to a variety of soils and climates and grows 

 rapidly, it is especially desirable for ornamental planting, hedges and 

 windbreaks. One of the best known i)lantations of this spruce is a 

 small area on the Billings estate at Woodstock, which was planted 

 nearly 40 years ago. 



