Description
(Norway Spruce) Norway spruce. The commonest spruce in the general cultivation and the species most popularly known as the christmas tree. A large tree with orange or reddish brown, usually glabrous shoots. Leaves 1-2.5cm long, shining dark green, densely clothing the upper sides of the brachlets,pectinate below. Cones cylindrical, 10-15cm long. This species is extensively used for reforestation and the white or cream- coloured wood for a wide variety of articles. The young shoots and leaves are the basis of spruce beer. Widely distributed in the wild over N and C Europe, often in large forests.