Picea schrenkiana
Picea schrenkiana, Schrenk's spruce, or Asian spruce, is a spruce native to the Tian Shan mountains of Central Asia (in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) and also to western China (Xinjiang). It grows at elevations of , usually in pure forests, sometimes mixed with the Tien Shan variety of Siberian fir (Abies sibirica var. semenovii). Its name was given in honour of Alexander von Schrenk (1816–1876).

Description

Picea schrenkiana is a large evergreen tree growing to  tall (rarely to ), with a trunk diameter of up to . It has a narrow conical crown with level branches and sometimes pendulous branchlets. The shoots are pale buff-brown, and glabrous (hairless). The leaves are needle-like,  long, rhombic in cross-section, dark green with inconspicuous stomatal lines.

The cones are cylindrical–conic, long and  broad, purple when young, maturing dark brown and opening to  broad 5–7 months after pollination; the scales are moderately stiff and smoothly rounded.

Subspecies
There are two subspecies:
Picea schrenkiana subsp. schrenkiana. Eastern Tian Shan, in Kazakhstan and Xinjiang. Leaves longer,  long.
Picea schrenkiana subsp. tianshanica (Rupr.) Bykov. Western Tian Shan, in Kyrgyzstan. Leaves shorter,  long.

It is closely related to, and in many respects intermediate between the Morinda spruce (Picea smithiana) from further south in the Himalaya, and the Siberian spruce (Picea obovata) further north in Siberia.

Uses
Schrenk's spruce is an important tree in central Asia for timber and paper production, where few other large trees exist. Its slower growth compared to the Norway spruce (Picea abies) reduces its importance outside of its native range.

Cultivation
Picea schrenkiana is grown as an ornamental tree in large gardens and public parks in Europe.

References

Further reading
Farjon, A. (1990). Pinaceae. Drawings and Descriptions of the Genera. Koelz Scientific, .

External links

Flora of China: Picea schrenkiana

schrenkiana
Flora of Kazakhstan
National symbols of Kazakhstan
Flora of Kyrgyzstan
Flora of Xinjiang
Tian Shan
Plants described in 1842
Least concern plants
Least concern biota of Asia
Garden plants of Asia
Ornamental trees