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Home > Spruce > Serbian Spruce

Serbian Spruce

The Serbian Spruce, distinguished by its tapering form and needle-like leaves, is a species of medium-sized coniferous tree found in the mountainous regions along the Drina River valley of eastern Bosnia and western Serbia at an elevation of 2,625-5,249 ft. It has dark foliage with blue-green undersides, and its buff-brown shoots are quite hairy.

This tree was first spotted close to the Serbian village of Zaovine in 1875 by a botanist Josif Pančić, who is also credited with naming the Serbian Spruce.

Serbian Spruce

Serbian Spruce

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Plantae
Division Pinophyta
Class Pinopsida
Order Pinales
Family Pinaceae
Genus Picea
Scientific Name Picea omorika
Serbian Spruce Images

Serbian Spruce Images

Quick Information

Size Commonly grows to a height of 66ft (20m), but occasionally reaches up to 131ft (40m); straight tree trunk with a diameter of about 3ft (1m); adult trees have a spread of about 2.5-4m
Leaves Flat and pointy leaves, 10-20mm long; bluish-green above but bluish-white below
Fruits (Cones) Spindle-shaped, 4-7cm long; young cones are dark purple in color while the maturing ones have stiff scales and dark brown coloration
Tree Type Evergreen
Shape at Maturity Narrow-pyramidal at the crown
Distribution/Range On the Viogor, Zvijezda, Tara, Jadovnik, and Radomišlja mountains around the Drina River in Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hardiness Zones 4-7
Lifespan Over 60 years
Growth Rate Slow to medium; annual height increase is 12-24 in
Growing Conditions Winter Conditions: More tolerant to frost than the Sitka and Norway spruce, some resistance to wet snow

Summer Conditions: Hot and slightly dry

Rain: Over 650 mm annual precipitation

Sunlight: Tolerates both direct sunlight and partial shade; needs at least 4 hours of unfiltered sunlight daily

Soil Requirements: Sandy, acidic, clay, alkaline, moist, well-drained, loamy

Diseases and Pests Rust diseases and needle cast may affect the spruce causing their needles to turn brown or mottled yellow; sawfly larvae, spider mites, spruce needle miner, and spruce budworm larvae may infest the branches, needles, and young buds; the white pine weevil can disfigure a spruce tree if left uncontrolled
Flowering Time Non-flowering
Wildlife Value Not an important wildlife food source due to its limited range; small animals including deer and rabbits, as also birds, use it as a protective shelter
Cultivars Pendula (weeping form) and Nana (dwarf form) are the most widely used varieties in gardening and landscaping
Uses As ornamental trees for decorative purposes; planted in groups for landscape design projects and specimen display; for timber and production of paper; ideal as Christmas tree; also crossed with the Sitka and Black spruce to produce hybrid species
IUCN Conservation Status Endangered
Serbian Spruce Trees

Serbian Spruce Trees

Serbian Spruce Pictures

Serbian Spruce Pictures

Serbian Spruce Tree

Serbian Spruce Tree

Interesting Facts

  • The genus name Picea has been derived from pix, a Latin word meaning “pitch”, while the scientific name omorika is the Serbian word for “Serbian spruce”. The genus name refers to the resin found in the tree bark.
  • These trees were distributed over a much larger area in Europe before the ice ages of Pleistocene epoch.
  • The Serbian Spruce shows great tolerance to air pollution.
Serbian Spruce Cones

Serbian Spruce Cones

Weeping Serbian Spruce

Weeping Serbian Spruce

Serbian Spruce Needles

Serbian Spruce Needles

References

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picea_omorika
  2. https://trees.umn.edu/serbian-spruce-picea-omorika
  3. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=h220
  4. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/30313/84039544

Published on December 8th 2015 by admin under Spruce.
Article was last reviewed on 21st March 2023.

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