Family: Pinaceae, Pine view all from this family

Description Large, introduced, cone-bearing tree with straight trunk and pyramid-shaped crown of spreading branches.
Height: 80' (24 m).
Diameter: 2' (0.6 m).
Needles: evergreen; 1/2-1" (1.2-2.5 cm) long. Stiff, 4-angled, sharp-pointed; spreading on all sides of twig from very short leafstalks. Shiny dark green with whitish lines.
Bark: reddish-brown, scaly.
Twigs: reddish-brown, slender, drooping, mostly hairless, rough, with peglike bases.
Cones: 4-6" (10-15 cm) long; cylindrical; light brown, hanging down; cone-scales numerous, thin, slightly pointed, irregularly toothed, opening and shedding year after maturing; paired long-winged seeds.

Habitat Moist soils in humid, cool, temperate regions.

Range Native of N. and central Europe, at high altitudes. Widely planted in SE. Canada, NE. United States, Rocky Mountains, and Pacific Coast region. Escaped in Northeast and perhaps naturalized locally.

Discussion Norway Spruce has been widely cultivated for ornament, shade, shelterbelts, Christmas trees, and forest plantations. The showy cones are the largest of the spruces. Numerous horticultural varieties include trees with a narrow columnar shape, drooping or weeping branches, dwarf habit, and yellowish or variegated needles. It is the common spruce of northern Europe.