Characteristics of the Korean Spruce and an Introduction to Its Planting and Care Methods

Aliases: Red-barked Spruce, Tiger-tail Pine, Korean Spruce, Dailing Spruce

Scientific name: Picea koraiensis Nakai

Family and genus: Pinaceae, Picea

Distribution: distributed in the Lesser Khingan Mountains of Northeast China and the mountainous areas of Jilin at elevations of 1400--1800 m; also found in Korea and the Ussuri region of the Soviet Union. Relatively shade-tolerant, shallow-rooted. Fairly adaptable; within its distribution area, it can grow under various site conditions except in swamped areas and on dry sunny slopes and ridges.

Morphology: evergreen tree, crown narrowly pyramidal, large branches slanting outward or spreading flat, twigs with obvious woody needle-like leaf cushions; first-year branches pale reddish brown or pale yellowish brown, hairless or nearly hairless, or with relatively dense short pubescence; buds long conical, the tips of the persistent bud scales at the base of the twigs often recurved. Leaves needle-like, apex acute, mostly spreading radially, rhombic in cross-section, with stomatal lines on all four sides. Cones ovoid-cylindrical or cylindrical-oblong, 5--8 cm long, greenish yellow-brown or brown when mature; seed scales thin and woody, triangular-obovate, apex rounded, the exposed part glossy, often smooth, without obvious longitudinal striations; bract scales very small; seeds with a membranous long wing at the upper end.

Ornamental characteristics and landscape uses: this tree species has a graceful form, is both cold-tolerant and moisture-tolerant, and also grows relatively quickly; it adapts better to Beijing's climate and soil than Abies nephrolepis and can be promoted in the Beijing area as a specimen tree.