Picea smithiana
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- PY-see-uh smith-ee-an-uh
- Description
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The Himalayan Spruce is an evergreen conifer native to the western Himalayas and surrounding mountains.
It is grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Its best performance is in climates with somewhat cool summers. Plants may struggle in locations that experience high heat and humidity.
This plant is a tall, pyramidal, needled conifer with horizontal branching and drooping branchlets. It's needle-like green leaves surround the branches and are four-angled in cross-section. The tree bark is a scaly gray. Its shiny, brownish-purple, female cones are pendulous (loosely hanging). It has the longest needles of any spruce.
Best grown in cool summer locations. Choose a conifer native to your area.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Although there are no serious insect or disease problems, spruces are generally susceptible to needle and stem rust, canker, trunk and root rot. Yellow-headed spruce sawfly, spruce budworm, and eastern spruce beetle are problems in some areas. Spider mites are common.
- See this plant in the following landscape :
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Picea
- Species:
- smithiana
- Family:
- Pinaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Western Himalayas from Afghanistan to Nepal and Tibet.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Horizontal
- Weeping
- Appendage:
- Prickles
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Purple/Lavender
- Fruit Description:
- Purple cones ripen to shiny brown
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Flowers:
- Flower Size:
- > 6 inches
- Flower Description:
- No flowers
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Leaf Type:
- Needles
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Whorled
- Leaf Shape:
- Linear
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- 4 sided dark green non prickly needles are up to 2 inches long and grow spirally on the branches.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Brown
- Surface/Attachment:
- Papery
- Bark Description:
- Greyish-brown bark that breaks into irregular, small plates and sheds in papery flakes
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Pendulous (drooping) when young with glabrous (smooth) texture
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Landscape:
- Attracts:
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
