Description
The crown of Norway spruce (Picea abies) is conical, with a pointed top. The trunk is straight, rolling, branched to the ground in an open place. The bark of young trees is level, pale brown, and later in 30-40 years it cracks, forms circular hollow scales as wide as scales, rarely ridges, and changes color – it can be reddish brown or even gray. Branches in irregular peduncles, almost horizontal, with slightly upturned tops. The shoots are glabrous or slightly hairy, brown to reddish-yellow in color and ending in an apical bud surrounded by curved spines, which surround 4-7 smaller buds. Side buds are smaller. Buds burst in May, they are narrowly conical, pointed, with pinkish or pale brown scales, uncomplicated. The needles are divided into light and dark. The light needles are stiff, bendable and break, the cross-section is almost square-shaped. The sharp needles are curved, flat, at a more obtuse angle, arranged in one plane, and are usually located in the lower part of the canopy. Spikelets 10-25 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, dark green, hard, prickly, quadrangular with apical stripes on all 4 sides, spirally attached to the umbels. The needles remain on the branches for 5-7, sometimes up to 9 years.
