Practical
Plants

Picea omorika

Serbian Spruce

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Picea genus in the family Pinaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Pinaceae
Genus
Picea
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
25 m
Spread
5 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young male catkins - raw or cooked. Used as a flavouring[4]. Immature female cones - cooked. The central portion, when roasted, is sweet and syrupy[4]. Inner bark - dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or added to cereals when making bread[4]. An emergency food, it is only used when all else fails. Seed - raw. Too small and fiddly to be worthwhile unless you are desperate[4]. A refreshing tea, rich in vitamin C, can be made from the young shoot tips[4].

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Inner bark
Plant part
Seed
Product or use
Tea

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Moderately wind resistant, it is sometimes planted in shelterbelts. Wood. It is valued for its use in the pulp industry to make paper[3].

Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Windbreak

Environment

Range
Europe - Serbia.
Habitat
Plants are confined to a few stands on limestone mountains[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
very acid, acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Tolerances
high wind
Wind
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - stratification will probably improve germination so sow fresh seed in the autumn in a cold frame if possible[8]. Sow stored seed as early in the year as possible in a cold frame[7]. A position in light shade is probably best[7]. Seed should not be allowed to dry out and should be stored in a cool place[8]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter. They can be planted out into their permanent positions in early summer of the following year, or be placed in an outdoor nursery bed for a year or so to increase in size. They might need protection from spring frosts. Cuttings of semi-ripe terminal shoots, 5 - 8cm long, August in a frame. Protect from frost. Forms roots in the spring[7]. Cuttings of mature terminal shoots, 5 - 10cm long, September/October in a cold frame. Takes 12 months[7]. Cuttings of soft to semi-ripe wood, early summer in a frame. Slow but sure.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Likes abundant moisture at the roots, if grown in drier areas it must be given a deep moist soil[2]. Tolerates poor peaty soils[6]. Succeeds in wet cold and shallow soils but is not very wind-firm in shallow soils[1]. Prefers a pH between 4 to 6 but it also succeeds in pure chalk soils[6]. Dislikes shade[6]. Intolerant of atmospheric pollution[2]. Resists wind exposure to some degree[6]. In some upland areas, especially over granitic or other base-poor soils, growth rate and health have been seriously affected by aluminium poisoning induced by acid rain[6]. Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows poorly[6]. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus[6]. There are a number of named forms selected for their ornamental value, most of these are dwarf cultivars[6]. A fast growing tree from its second year of growth. Two to three years after planting out new shoots 1 metre long may be produced[5]. Growth takes place from mid-May to the end of July. Height increase is moderate over a long term basis, averaging around 50cm a year[5]. Trees should be planted into their permanent positions when they are quite small, between 30 and 90cm. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance[6]. Occasionally planted as a timber tree in Britain, it produces almost the same bulk of timber as the Norway spruce (Picea abies) but is more frost tolerant and can be grown in frosty hollows[5] because it comes into leaf quite late and it is not damaged by late frosts[2]. This species is widely cultivated as a timber tree in regions too dry or liable to late frosts for P. sitchensis to do well[6]. This species is notably susceptible to honey fungus[6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  3. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

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  4. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  5. Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-11-710012-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11

  7. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  8. McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-901361-21-6

    ↩1↩2

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