| Picea schrenkiana Schrenk's Spruce |
|
|---|---|
| Forest at Kaindy Lake, southeast Kazakhstan | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Pinaceae |
| Genus: | Picea |
| Species: | P. schrenkiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Picea schrenkiana Fisch. & C.A.Mey. |
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Schrenk's Spruce, Picea schrenkiana, is a spruce native to the Tian Shan mountains of central Asia in western China (Xinjiang), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Northern Pakistan. It grows at altitudes of 1,300-3,600 metres, usually in pure forests, sometimes mixed with the Tien Shan variety of Siberian Fir (Abies sibirica var. semenovii).
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Picea schrenkiana is a large evergreen tree growing to 40–50 metres (130–160 ft) tall (rarely to 60 metres (200 ft)), with a trunk diameter of up to 1–2 metres (3.3–6.6 ft). 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, 1.5-3.5 cm long, rhombic in cross-section, dark green with inconspicuous stomatal lines.
The cones are cylindric-conic, 6-12 cm long and 2 cm broad, purple when young, maturing dark brown and opening to 2.5-3.5 cm broad 5–7 months after pollination; the scales are moderately stiff and smoothly rounded.
There are two subspecies:
It is closely related to, and in many respects intermediate between, Morinda Spruce (Picea smithiana) from further south in the Himalaya, and Siberian Spruce (Picea obovata) further north in Siberia.
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 Norway Spruce reduces its importance outside of its native range.
Picea schrenkiana is grown as an ornamental tree in large gardens and public parks in Europe.