A tall, conical evergreen spruce of northern and central Europe, widely planted for timber and famous as the traditional Christmas tree.
Where it grows
Norway spruce is native to a vast swathe of mountain and boreal Europe, from Scandinavia and the Alps east to the Urals. It has been widely planted outside that range and is now common in forestry plantations across Britain, Ireland, and eastern North America.
How to recognise it
The dark green needles are stiff, four-sided, and pointed, attached to small woody pegs that remain on the twig after the needle falls. The cones are pendant, slender, and the largest of any spruce — up to 15 centimetres long. The crown is narrow and conical, with downward-sweeping branches that often re-curve at the tips.
Uses
Norway spruce is the leading European timber species, used for construction, paper pulp, and pallets. Its light, resonant wood is the traditional choice for violin, guitar, and piano soundboards — the so-called Klangholz. Each year a Norwegian spruce sails to London as a Trafalgar Square gift from Oslo.
Ecology
A specimen named Old Tjikko in Sweden has a 9,500-year-old clonal root system, making it among the oldest known plant individuals on Earth.
Find more trees by letter
Norway Spruce starts with N and ends with E. Browse other trees along the same letter.
Trees that contain a letter from "Norway Spruce":