Oriental Spruce
Picea orientalis
Pine familiy (Pinaceae)
![Least concern](https://cordianvbtapi.botanischetuinen.nl/img/status_icons/IUCN/LC.png)
![Crown jewel](https://botanischetuinen.nl/themes/nvbt/assets/images/theme_icons/CRJ.png)
![Natural resource](https://botanischetuinen.nl/themes/nvbt/assets/images/theme_icons/NAR.png)
![Part of Dutch National Collection](https://botanischetuinen.nl/themes/nvbt/assets/images/theme_icons/SNP.png)
Conifer beer
The Caucasian, or oriental, spruce grows in Central Asia and the Caucasus. At first sight it appears very similar to the European spruce, which has become popular as a Christmas tree. Yet Picea orientalis is not an ideal Christmas tree. The tree grows slowly amongst the rocks of the Caucasian mountains and takes a long time to become a large tree. Yet given time it can easily reach 50 m. It is the spruce with the shortest needles, which are nearly square and are not at all sharp; after bruising they smell of pineapple. The needles are used for the preparation of, amongst other things, ‘Jopen beer’.
The Caucasian spruce is beautiful to see with its twigs covered in a silvery down and large, pendulous, cigar-shaped cones that are initially purple before turning brown.
Themes
![Crown jewel](https://botanischetuinen.nl/themes/nvbt/assets/images/theme_icons/CRJ.png)
Crown jewel on the Schovenhorst Estate.
![Natural resource](https://botanischetuinen.nl/themes/nvbt/assets/images/theme_icons/NAR.png)
Oriental Spruce is an important timber tree in the Caucasus. The wood is of good quality and is used for construction, flooring, carpentry, furniture making, and parts of musical instruments. This spruce is sometimes grown as a Christmas tree but more commonly as an amenity tree for parks and large gardens in many European countries and across the USA.
![Part of Dutch National Collection](https://botanischetuinen.nl/themes/nvbt/assets/images/theme_icons/SNP.png)
Part of the Dutch National Conifer Collection.
Details
Description: | Conifer, up to 50 m with a thin, brown and scaly bark; it is the conifer with the smallest needles. |
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Distributions: | Caucasus, north turkey |
Habitat: | Dark coniferous and mixed forests, from 600 to 2,100 m in altitude. |
Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic evergreen) |
Hardiness: | Colder than -4 f (very hardy) |
Flowering period: | Mei |
Flower color: | Purple |
Notes on flowers: | Purple cones. |