Side by side
Serbian spruce or Sitka spruce? How to tell them apart
Picea omorika · Picea sitchensis
How to tell them apart – Serbian spruce: very narrow crown, blunt needles and small, purplish-brown cones; Sitka spruce: broad crown, very sharp needles and pale brown cones with crinkled scales.
Photo: http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brugerdiskussion:Sten, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Serbian spruce Picea omorika
How do you recognise them?
- Serbian spruce
- Very slender, narrow spruce with short, drooping side branches that curve up again at the tips; needles with two white bands underneath.
- Compared with Sitka spruce: very narrow crown, blunt needles and small, purplish-brown cones.
- Sitka spruce
- Large spruce with very sharp, flattened needles that are blue-white underneath; pale brown cones with papery scales.
- Compared with Serbian spruce: broad crown, very sharp needles and pale brown cones with crinkled scales.
| Serbian spruce | Sitka spruce | |
|---|---|---|
| Needles | Needles 1–2 cm, flattened (not square), blunt or briefly pointed and barely prickly; dark green above, with two conspicuous white bands below. They grow all round the twig on small woody pegs. | Needles 1.5–3 cm, stiff, flattened and very sharply pointed; green above, with two broad blue-white bands below. They grow all round the twig on small woody pegs. |
| Flowering | – | – |
| Cones and seeds | Hanging cones 3–6 cm long, bluish purple when young, glossy reddish-brown when ripe. | Hanging, pale brown cones 6–10 cm long with thin, papery, crinkled scales. |
| Bark | Orange-brown to grey-brown, in thin scales. | Grey to purplish grey, thin and flaking in rounded scales. |
| Shape and height | Conifer, 15–30 m | Conifer, 30–50 m |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, acid soil, moist to wet |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | – | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | August–September | August–September |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Serbian spruce (15–30 m) and Sitka spruce (30–50 m) both grow into large trees: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
- Plant profile: Serbian spruce
- Plant profile: Sitka spruce
- Serbian spruce: when and how to prune
- Sitka spruce: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.