Picea glauca
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Sir Henry Angest
Credits
Tom Christian (2025)
Recommended citation
Christian, T. (2025), 'Picea glauca' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Common Names
- White Spruce
- Canada Spruce
- Épinette Blanche
Synonyms
- Abies canadensis Mill.
- Abies laxa (Münchh.) K.Koch nom. superfl.
- Picea alba (Castigl.) Link
- Picea canadensis (Mill.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.
- Picea coerulea (Lodd. ex J.Forbes) Link
- Picea laxa (Münchh.) Sarg.
- Picea tschugatskoyae Carrière
- Pinus laxa Münchh.
Infraspecifics
Other taxa in genus
- Picea abies
- Picea × albertiana
- Picea alcoquiana
- Picea asperata
- Picea asperata aggregate
- Picea brachytyla
- Picea breweriana
- Picea chihuahuana
- Picea crassifolia
- Picea engelmannii
- Picea farreri
- Picea × fennica
- Picea glehnii
- Picea jezoensis
- Picea koraiensis
- Picea koyamae
- Picea likiangensis
- Picea likiangensis aggregate
- Picea linzhiensis
- Picea × lutzii
- Picea mariana
- Picea × mariorika
- Picea martinezii
- Picea maximowiczii
- Picea mexicana
- Picea meyeri
- Picea morrisonicola
- Picea neoveitchii
- Picea obovata
- Picea omorika
- Picea orientalis
- Picea polita
- Picea pungens
- Picea purpurea
- Picea rubens
- Picea × saaghii
- Picea schrenkiana
- Picea sitchensis
- Picea smithiana
- Picea spinulosa
- Picea wilsonii
Tree 40–50 m tall, to 1.2 m dbh. Bark flaking from a young age, turning grey-brown, scaly and rough in old trees. Crown narrowly conical, somewhat columnar and irregular in older trees, branched to the ground in open situations. First order branches short, slender, spreading horizontally or pendent; second order branches short, densely set on first order branches. Branchlets short, slender, somewhat flexible except leading and very vigorous shoots, whitish grey or buff at first, maturing grey, prominently ridged and grooved, glabrous; pulvini small, sometimes minutely pubescent, spreading from shoot at 60–90°. Vegetative buds ovoid-globose, to 6 × 4–5 mm on leading shoots, not resinous; bud scales ovate, obtuse, recurved at apex, light brown, shiny, persisting several years. Leaves dense, spreading radially forward, curved inward or nearly erect on leading shoots, parted below, (8–)15–20 × 1–1.5 mm, base abruptly tapering, linear, straight or curved, quadrangular in cross section, nearly square, apex obtuse or acute; amphistomatic, stomata in 4 narrow bands of 2–4 lines; leaf colour glaucous-green or bluish-green, smelling of cassis when crushed. Pollen cones dense, 1–2 cm long. Seed cones often very numerous, including on lateral branches of open-grown trees including in cultivation, short pedunculate or sessile, ovoid-oblong or ovoid, often curved, tapering at base, apex narrowed, obtuse, 3–6(–7) × 1.5–3.5 cm wide with opened scales; green or reddish-green at first, maturing yellowish- or orange-brown. Seed scales obovate or obovate-oblong, slightly convex, thin, 1.2–1.5 × 0.8–1.2 cm at mid-cone; surface smooth, finely striated towards apex, often with white resin dots, glabrous; upper margin rounded or truncate, denticulate or entire; base cuneate. Bracts ligulate, 2 mm, entirely included. Seeds ovoid, 2–3 mm long, reddish-brown or dark brown; seed wings ovate-oblong, 6–8 × 4–5 mm, light orange-brown. (Farjon 2017; Taylor 1993).
Distribution Canada throughout United States Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming
USDA Hardiness Zone 2
RHS Hardiness Rating H7
Conservation status Least concern (LC)
Taxonomic note As a widespread tree distributed throughout northern North America, from Alaska to Newfoundland, Picea glauca has collected a remarkably long list of synonyms, many of them in the genera Abies and Pinus, relict names penned by European botanists at a time when the delimitation of Pinaceae genera was in its infancy. It would be unhelpful to provide a full list here, but we include a curated list of synonyms in these genera and of synonyms in Picea; full synonymy is available at Plants Of The World Online. Early literature was plagued by the taxonomic uncertainty surrounding this species, which in turn was not helped by the the natural variation inherent in it, including the existence of hybrid forms where its range overlaps with other species (see below). Many infraspecific taxa, usually at the rank of forma or variety, have been described but none are recognised here nor in other major works such as the Flora of North America (Taylor 1993). A new complication has arisen recently via the reappraisal of an early publication (Münchhausen’s 1770 Der Hausvater vol. 5, p. 225) in which P. glauca is described using the epithet ‘laxa’. For a very long while this epithet was generally considered to be an infraspecific, but a new interpretation considers ‘laxa’ to be a validly published specific epithet and certain authorities, notably Plants Of The World Online, now consider the correct name for White Spruce to be Picea laxa (Münchh.) Sargent. It seems likely that after over a century of stable use a proposal to conserve the name P. glauca might be forthcoming, and so we retain this familiar name for the time being until the question is resolved, although this is not likely to be until the next botanical congress in 2030.
Picea glauca is the most widely distributed spruce in the western hemisphere. It occurs over a great swathe of northern North America, from Alaska and interior British Columbia east to the Atlantic seaboard, north to the tree line, and south to the northern United States where it reaches its southern limit in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, and then all the states east of here bordering Canada, except Ohio and Pennsylvania (Taylor 1993). It has long been an important timber tree throughout its range – arguably the most important – on account of its versatile long-fibred wood (Warren 1982).
Besides its standing in the timber industry, Picea glauca is one of the more horticulturally significant North American spruces. A great many cultivars have been selected, but even in its typical form it is a valuable landscape tree, employed in windbreaks, mass plantings, as a specimen tree and even for hedging. Michael Dirr has observed it is ‘widely used in the plains states’ and is tolerant of ‘wind, heat, cold, drought and crowding’ (Dirr 2009). Nevertheless the grass is always greener, and despite its versatility P. glauca has always played second fiddle as an ornamental in North America to the more popular European P. abies. Conversely, for a while P. glauca was favoured as a windbreak tree in Denmark (Bean 1976), but while P. glauca has long been admired in those parts of Europe possessing a continental climate (it was even planted in trials in southwest Greenland and the Faroe Islands – Ødum 2003), to which it is ideally suited, here too it has always been in the shadow of P. abies. In the oceanic climate of the UK and Ireland it fares reasonably well, but rarely excels. It does just well enough just often enough to continue to be planted when available; particularly in colder districts and upland sites it can be a useful tree, but here as elsewhere it is probably most common now in the guise of its cultivars.
Typically for a northern North American tree, Picea glauca was a relatively early arrival to European cultivation. It was introduced to Britain around 1700 and seems to have been in cultivation here more or less continually from this date, but is short-lived, usually to less than 100 years (Mitchell 1972). The largest on record was an exception to this rule: planted on the Rhinefield Ornamental Drive in England’s New Forest in 1861, by 1976 it was 31 m tall × 57 cm dbh, comfortably taller than the next tallest on record, 27 m × 47 cm at Kyloe Wood, Northumberland, in 2005. Both these trees have since died (Tree Register 2024). A handful of extant trees to 23 m are known from favourable sites in north Wales, Cumbria and the Scottish Highlands (Tree Register 2024). Size records of wild trees seem to vary widely: Dirr recalls seeing many 15–21 m tall along the Maine coast and notes the national champion from Koochiching, Minnesota, as being 39.6 m tall (Dirr 2009). Several authors cite 40–50 m as a maximum height (Farjon 2017; Debreczy & Rácz 2011).
In various parts of its distribution Picea glauca occurs with other spruces. Across a very large part of its range it occurs with Black Spruce, P. mariana, which has a similar but smaller distribution; in the southeastern part of its distribution P. glauca overlaps with P. rubens. For key differences between P. glauca, P. mariana and P. rubens, see the account for P. mariana. In the southwestern part of its distribution P. glauca has a large area of overlap with P. engelmannii, and at its western limit with P. sitchensis. Some of these pairings hybridise more freely than others, in cultivation as well as in the wild. In certain cases nothospecies have been described to cover hybrid forms, including P. × albertiana (glauca × engelmannii) and P. × lutzii (glauca × sitchensis). Several important horticultural selections, nominally treated under Picea glauca, may actually be derived from one of these hybrids. In a few cases hybrid parentage is known or else considered highly likely, in many others it is a matter of conjecture. Until such time as we gain a better understanding of these hybrids and their distributions we will continue to discuss cultivars of known or suspected hybrid origin under P. glauca itself.
'Aurea'
An old cultivar first recorded by Nelson (1866) in which the extension growth in the spring is yellow, later fading to leave a golden sheen on the upper leaf surface. Up to 2 m tall after ten years (Auders & Spicer 2012) but ultimately capable of forming a medium size tree; an old tree at Benmore Botanic Garden (Argyll, UK) was 11 m tall × 29 cm dbh in 2017 (Tree Register 2025).
'Caerulea'
A strongly upright plant, ultimately a conical tree, the growth not as dense as in many selections, the young extension growth in the spring intense powder-blue, fading to a more typical glaucous green in the second year. This is an old cultivar first recorded by Nelson (1866) which can grow up to 2 m tall and 1 m broad in ten years (Auders & Spicer 2012). The largest extant trees in UK collections include the champion for both height and girth at Benmore Botanic Garden, Argyll, which in 2017 was 19 m × 55 cm dbh, and the next largest known at Grayswood Hill, Surrey, 18.4 m × 47 cm dbh in 2022 (Tree Register 2025). The largest ever recorded in the UK grew at Eridge Park, East Sussex; planted in 1880, the late Alan Mitchell measured it in 1957 when it was 22 m × 91 cm dbh (Tree Register 2025).
'Conica'
Synonyms / alternative names
Picea albertiana conica hort.
Picea albertiana var. conica Bean
Picea glauca 'Albertiana Conica'
Picea glauca var. albertiana f. conica Rehd.
Awards
AM (1933)
Picea glauca ‘Conica’ is a slow-growing plant which makes ‘a slender, cone-shaped bush, very closely and densely branched’ (Bean 1976) with short leaves, 6–13 mm long. It was found by Alfred Rehder and John George Jack near Lake Laggan in Alberta, Canada in 1904, and distributed by the Arnold Arboretum. Rehder and Jack collected four plants but it has always been assumed that only one clone was distributed. Bean notes a plant received at Kew in 1909 and ‘a perfect cone’ 1.8 m tall and 0.9 m across at the base after twenty years (Bean 1976). Unusually among spruces this may be increased by late-summer cuttings.
This plant has become one of the most familiar ‘dwarf’ conifers in temperate gardens, employed as an isolated specimen or as an accent in mixed borders, rock gardens, and even in the major structural planting of formal gardens. Although of rather slow growth (typically around 1–1.5 m tall after ten years, depending on conditions) this cultivar is capable of forming a significant plant. Partly as a result of its wide use in horticulture, ‘Conica’ has been an important parent of additional cultivars as horticulturists have selected various mutations from it, including many witches’ brooms. This is the cultivar to which nearly all other P. glauca selections are compared, regardless of whether or not the comparison is just!
This cultivar has suffered from some confusion surrounding the correct name and its true affiliation. The correct cultivar name is ‘Conica’. It is still sometimes referred to as ‘Picea albertiana conica’ [sic.] or P. glauca ‘Albertiana Conica’, particularly in the nursery trade which is infamously reluctant to update the names of plants that sell well. The confusion stems from Rehder’s opinion that the plant belongs to the taxon treated here as P. × albertiana, now generally regarded as a hybrid of P. glauca and P. engelmannii, but which was considered in Rehder’s time to be a variety of P. glauca, hence Rehder’s combination Picea glauca var. albertiana f. conica Rehd. Whilst ‘Conica’ might indeed be of hybrid origin, such are the problems surrounding the diversity of spruce hybrids in North America, and the merit and proper application of the names that have been coined to cover them, we believe the most sensible course of action for the foreseeable future is to continue to treat ‘Conica’ under P. glauca.
'Dent'
Synonyms / alternative names
A large tree of upright-conical habit and fast growth, capable of reaching 2.5 m tall and 1.2 m across in ten years. The foliage is irregularly cream-variegated, with entire branchlets usually creamy-yellow, or occasionally many leaves on one branchlet (Auders & Spicer 2012). The irregular nature of the variegation, and the fact this quickly fades to glaucous-green after one year, all makes for a rather alarming aesthetic; the fact that (particularly young) plants are prone to sun scorch does not help. A well-grown, established specimen can be beautiful, but patience will be required. It was discovered c. 1980 by Greg Williams in the United States (Auders & Spicer 2012). ‘Yellow Spring’ is very similar, only the ‘normal’ foliage is dark rather than glaucous green.
Dwarf Cultivars
Here we list those cultivars that remain less than 1 m tall and broad ten years from planting. For further introductory remarks on cultivars see the notes at the end of the genus article. In the case of Picea glauca in particular, dwarf cultivars as we define them may be broadly divided into groups based on a combination of habit (conical, globose, pyramidal, upright) foliage colour (green, blue, occasionally yellow/cream), and variegated (gold-yellow, cream-white, or none) but to date no comprehensive cultivar classification has been proposed. In the curated selection of P. glauca dwarfs that follows below these key details are summarised for quick reference, together with notes on the origin of each selection and, where available, likely growth rates.
'Achat'
Conical, green, very slow (to 40 cm tall × 20 cm broad at the base in ten years). Originated in the United States prior to 1999 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Alberta Blue'
Conical, blue, moderate to fast (to 70 cm tall × 35 cm broad at the base in ten years). Arose as a mutation on ‘Conica’ at Bos Nursery, Surrey, UK (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Alberta Globe'
Globose, green, slow (to 40 cm tall × 60 cm broad in ten years). A mutation on ‘Conica’ selected by C. Streng, Boskoop, the Netherlands prior to 1967 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Baby'
Globose, green, very slow (to 25 cm tall and broad in ten years). A witches’ broom selected in Germany before 1999 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Beehive'
Upright, blue, moderate (to 70 cm tall × 50 cm broad in ten years). Arose as a mutation on ‘Echiniformis’, selected in 1990 by Robert Fincham in Washington, United States. ‘Resembling an old-fashioned round beehive’ (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Berggarten'
Globose, bluish, slow and compact with ascending branches (30–40 cm tall and broad in ten years). A witches’ broom selected in Germany before 1999 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Biesenthaler Frühling'
Conical, new growth a rich yellow, fading to green by the autumn, moderate (to 60 cm tall × 30 cm broad at the base in ten years). Selected in Germany before 1999, possibly a sport of ‘Conica’ (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Bill Archer'
A low, spreading, mound-forming plant with blue-grey leaves, slow (to 20 cm tall × 30 cm across in ten years). A witches’ broom selected before 1988, perhaps by J.W. Archer (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Blue Planet'
Globose, blue-grey, very slow and dense (to 20 × 25 cm in ten years). Arose as a mutation on ‘Echiniformis’ and selected by H. Kruse, Germany, before 1985 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Boring'
Globose-pyramidal, pale green, slow (to 40 cm tall and broad in ten years). Grown in the United States before 1999 (Auders & Spicer 2012). Surely a contender for one of the most apt names, it should be elevated to a Cultivar Group. [Hear! Hear! ed.]
'Burning Well'
Spreading, flat-topped, blue-grey, slow (to 30 cm tall × 40 cm across in ten years). Listed by Stanley & Sons, Oregon, in 2009 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Cecilia'Synonyms / alternative names
Picea glauca 'Skippack'
Synonyms / alternative names
Picea glauca 'Skippack'
Upright, silvery pale blue, fast (to 90 cm tall and broad in ten years). A witches’ broom found before 1979 by Greg Williams along Skippack Highway, Philadelphia (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Compacta Žehušice'
Upright, green, slow to moderate (30–50 cm tall in ten years). Selected in Žehušice, Czechia before 2005 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Cupido'
Conical, green, fast (to about 70 cm tall × 35 cm broad at the base in ten years). Arose in Germany and named and commercialised by Jac. Schoemaker BV, the Netherlands in 1987 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Cy's Wonder'
Globose-conical, green, moderate (to 50 cm tall and broad in ten years). Distributed by Garry van Winkle, Washington, United States from about 1978 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Daisy's White HB 3'
Globose and compact, new growth rich creamy yellow, fading to green, very slow (to 10 cm tall and broad in ten years). Arose as a mutation on ‘JW Daisy’s White’ (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Dendrofarma Gold'
Globose, new growth cream-yellow, fading to green, moderate (to 50 cm tall and broad in ten years). Arose in Poland as a mutation on ‘Alberta Globe’, selected by Michal Kałuziński in 1995 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Densata'
Upright, very dense, bluish-green, growth rate moderate (a specimen planted at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire, UK in 1982 was 10 m tall × 18 cm dbh in 2002 – Tree Register 2025). Raised from seed at the Black Hills Nursery, South Dakota, before 1933 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Eagle Rock'
Upright, vase-shaped, blue-grey, moderate to fast (50–80 cm tall in ten years). Listed by Bucholz & Bucholz, Oregon, in 2009 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Echiniformis'
Ultimately a flat-topped globose plant with radially arranged, blue-grey leaves. To 25 cm tall and 60 cm across in ten years. Raised in France before 1855, it has since become an important source of new cultivars, mostly via mutations (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Ed Hurle'
Conical, green, slow (to 40 cm tall × 20 cm broad at the base in ten years). Probably a mutation on ‘Conica’, first recorded in 1988 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Elegans Compacta'
Narrolwy conical, green, growth rate unknown but likely moderate. Arose as a mutation on ‘Conica’ in the State Conifer Nursery, Žehušice, Czechia around 1950 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Elf'
Globose-pyramidal, green, slow (to 20 cm tall and broad in ten years). One of the Floravista range selected around 1970 at Mitsch Nursery, Oregon, and distributed from the early 1980s (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Ericoides'
Very similar to ‘Echiniformis’ but with a looser habit. Recorded from American cultivation before 1993, but no further details of its origin were known to Auders & Spicer (2012). The Latin cultivar name is only permissible if published prior to 1959.
'Girard Dwarf Pyramid'Synonyms / alternative names
Picea glauca 'Girard Dwarf Monstrosa'
Picea glauca 'Girard Monstrosa Nana'
Synonyms / alternative names
Picea glauca 'Girard Dwarf Monstrosa'
Picea glauca 'Girard Monstrosa Nana'
Globose or broad-pyramidal, green very short leaves, slow (to 25 cm tall and broad in ten years). A witches’ broom selected prior to 1985 at the Girard Nurseries, Ohio, originally named ‘Girard Monstrosa Nana’ which was unacceptable and changed to the present correct name in 1985 by Larry Hatch. It is occasionally marketed as a Picea engelmannii selection (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Gnom'
Conical, grey-green, moderate (to 60 cm tall × 30 cm broad at the base in ten years). Arose as a mutation on ‘Conica’ in the State Conifer Nursery, Žehušice, Czechia before 1960 (Auders & Spicer 2012). The cultivar name has also been used under Picea × mariorika but cultivar names may not be duplicated within a genus; one of these selections should be re-named.
'Gnome'
Conical, green, slow (to 25 cm tall × 15 cm broad at the base in ten years). First listed in 1982 by W. Goddard of Floravista Gardens, Canada (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Hobbit'
Globose, very short green leaves, slow to moderate (to 45 cm tall and broad in ten years). Raised at the Iseli Nurseries, Oregon, before 1979 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Holata'
Globose, blue, moderate (to 50 cm tall and broad in ten years). Selected from a witches’ broom in Czechia in 2002 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Humpty Dumpty'
Conical, dense, pale green, moderate (to 50 cm tall × 30 cm broad at the base in ten years). A witches’ broom selected by the Iseli Nurseries, Oregon, in 1985 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Jacqueilne Van Hulle'
Conical, new growth yellow, fading green, moderate to fast (to 70 cm tall in ten years). In cultivation in France before 1999 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Jalako Gold'
Globose, compact, the new growth in spring initially bright yellow, turning cream, maturing green by autumn. Slow to moderate (to 40 cm tall and broad in ten years). A mutation on ‘Alberta Globe’ selected by Nelis Kools, the Netherlands in 2000 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Jean's Dilly'
Conical, slightly irregular (a bit like a witches’ hat), green, coming into growth three to four weeks later than most selections. Moderate to fast (to 75 cm tall × 40 cm broad at the base in ten years). A mutation on ‘Conica’ named for Jean Iseli (1934–1986), founder of the eponymous Oregon nursery firm, in 1981 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Josef Rys'
Conical, intensely blue, moderate (perhaps 1 m tall × 60 cm broad at the base after ten years). First listed by Stanley & Sons, Oregon, in 2009 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'JW Daisy's White'Synonyms / alternative names
Picea glauca DAISY'S WHITE
Synonyms / alternative names
Picea glauca DAISY'S WHITE
Conical, new growth striking creamy-yellow, slowly becoming paler before turning green in autumn. Moderate (to 60 cm tall × 30 cm broad at the base in ten years). A mutation on ‘Conica’ selected before 1994 by L. Jeurissen-Wijnen in Belgium and named for his granddaughter (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Laurin'
Particularly narrow conical, very short green leaves, moderate (to 60 cm tall in ten years, height to width-at-base ratio usually >2:1). A mutation on ‘Conica’ selected by R. Arnold, Germany, in 1952 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Lilliput'
Conical, green, slow (to 50 cm tall × 30 cm broad at the base in ten years). Raised from seed at the Le Feber Nurseries, the Netherlands, before 1979 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Mac Golden'Synonyms / alternative names
Picea glauca 'Mac's Gold'
Synonyms / alternative names
Picea glauca 'Mac's Gold'
Upright, new growth golden, turning green throught the summer. Growth variable, to 40–80 cm tall after ten years. Cultivated in North America before 2000 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Maigold'
Conical, new growth yellow, fading to green. Fast (to 90 cm tall × 50 cm broad at the base in ten years). Listed by zu Jeddeloh Nursery, Germany before 1999 but the cultivar name has also been used for a Picea pungens selection, and cultivar names cannot be duplicated within a genus (Auders & Spicer 2012). P. pungens ‘Maigold’ is the older use of the name and it is probably the P. glauca selection that should be re-named.
'Manabe Goldmoon'
Globose-spreading, compact, foliage golden-yellow throughout the year. Slow (to 25 cm tall and 40 cm across in ten years). A mutation on ‘Echiniformis’ selected by the Manabe Nursery, Japan, in 2000 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Minima'
A name of historic interest only, applied to two dwarf plants in the mid-19th century. Firstly to a plant in the garden of Gambier Parry, Gloucester, UK, which was described by Gordon in 1858 as being the dwarfest of all spruces (this is probably no longer true); and secondly to a plant raised from seed at the Sénéclauze Nursery, France, before 1868. Neither plant seems to have been recorded more than once and both are probably long since lost to cultivation, but this historic use of the name is worth recording (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Minitip'
A selection of pyramidal-globose habit with blue-green leaves (serving to invalidate the idea of using pyramidal vs. globose and blue vs. green as means of classifying P. glauca cultivars!) Growth moderate to fast, to 80 cm tall and broad in ten years (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Monstrosa Nana'
Irregular, bluish-green, slow (to 30 × 20 cm in ten years). Listed by the Bucholz & Bucholz nursery firm of Oregon in 2009, but the Latin cultivar name is only valid if it can be proven to have been published before 1959 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Nana'
An unusual selection with a distinct leader and irregular branching, bearing very pale grey-green leaves. To 25–45 cm tall in ten years. Recorded from the garden of the Horticultural Society of London in 1828 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Paul's Dwarf'
Tightly conical with fastigiate branching, leaves green, distinctively twisted especially on leading shoots. Late into growth. A mutation on ‘Conica’ selected by Paul Halladin at the Iseli Nursery, Oregon in 1981 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Piccolo'
Narrowly conical, green rather coarse leaves. Fast, to 80 cm tall × 30 cm broad at the base in ten years. Commercialised by the Le Feber Nurseries, the Netherlands, before 1987 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Pixie'
Narrowly conical, green, moderate (to 50 cm tall × 20 cm broad at the base in ten years). A mutation of ‘Conica’ found by William Goddard before 1992 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Pixie Dust'
Densely conical, foliage dark green but with the second flush creamy-yellow, looking as though the plant has been dusted with a sparkly substance or resembling a starry sky. Growth slow (to 40 cm tall × 15 cm broad at the base in ten years). Raised at the Iseli Nurseries, Oregon in 1994 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Rita'
Conical, new growth creamy-white covering the entire plant, later fading to green. Moderate, to 60 cm tall × 30 cm broad at the base in ten years. Listed by Bucholz & Bucholz, Oregon, in 2009 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Short n Sweet'
Subglobose, growing wider than tall, leaves green. Moderate (to 0.7 m tall × 1 m across after ten years). Listed by Stanley & Sons, Oregon, in 2009 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Starlight'
Pyramidal, new growth creamy-white, retaining that colour for most of the growing season but fading to green by winter. Growth moderate to fast, to 80 × 40 cm in ten years. Recorded in Poland before 2002 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Zuckerhut'
Conical, compact, green, moderate (to 60 cm tall × 25 cm broad at the base in ten years). A mutation on ‘Conica’ found by M. Lohse, Germany, before 1987 (Auders & Spicer 2012). The cultivar name has also been used for a Picea omorika selection, but duplication of cultivar names within a genus is not permitted and one of these two plants must be re-named.
'Fastigiata'
Although there are several dwarf selections of variably fastigiate habit, Picea glauca ‘Fastigiata’ itself is one of few selections to reportedly combine this habit with normal to rapid growth, quickly forming a small tree. It was raised at the Sénéclauze Nursery, France, prior to 1867 (Auders & Spicer 2012), though appears to have become quite scarce in recent decades.
'Fort Ann'
A fast-growing plant (up to 3 m tall × 1.5 m across in ten years) with unusual, wavy, snake-like branches and branchlets bearing up-curved glaucous leaves. It was discovered by Greg Williams around 1968 in Fort Ann, New York (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Gold Tip'
An upright plant of rather slow growth, with ‘dazzling’ golden-yellow coloured young growth in spring. To 1.2 m tall and half as broad in ten years. Listed by Bucholz & Bucholz in Oregon in 2009 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Goldilocks'
An upright, conical to ovoid shaped dwarf with golden-yellow leaves, ‘Goldilocks’ is one of rather few yellow Picea glauca selections in which the foliage colour is retained throughout the year. Apparently it does not suffer from sun scorch but some shelter is still recommended. To 1.2 m tall and half as broad in ten years. Cultivated in North America since at least 1992 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Haal'
A conical selection that can grow to 1 m tall in ten years (therefore on the cusp of qualifying as a dwarf selection, as defined here) initially with blue leaves but soon developing a patchwork of green as individual branches and branchlets revert. Raised by Isaac and Richard Bos in the UK (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Hudsonii'
A small, slow-growing, pyramidal plant capable of reaching 1.8 m tall in ten years. It was first listed by the Späth Nursery in 1891 (as ‘Coerulea Hudsonii) (Beissner 1909) and was thought to no longer be in commerce until it appeared in the catalogue of the Oregon firm Bucholz & Bucholz in 2009 (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Ketch Harbour'
A sport with gracefully downward-arching first order branches and branchlets bearing richly glaucous leaves, discovered in the eponymous Ketch Harbor, Nova Scotia, Canada. ‘Ketch Harbor’ is capable of forming an upright tree of moderate growth, to 1.8 m tall in ten years, but staking may be necessary and even then an awkward, slightly dumpy-looking phase must first be tolerated, but the wait is worthwhile (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'North Star'
A 1981 introduction from the Oregon firm Iseli, ‘North Star’ was selected for its superior cold-hardiness. Described by Iseli as sturdy and compact, this plant forms a classic, densely pyramidal plant with mid-green leaves (Auders & Spicer 2012; Iseli Nursery 14/6/25).
'Pendula'
A striking plant with a strong leader and short, strongly pendulous branches and branchlets bearing relatively long glaucous leaves. Growth is vigorous, with plants up to 3 m tall within ten years; two at Bedgebury National Pinetum (Kent, UK) were 3.5 m tall in 2024 having been planted in 2010 and 2011 (Tree Register 2024). Initially plants appear more or less pyramidal in outline, but once established outward growth diminishes in favour of height and plants take on proportions similar to those of Picea omorika, but P. glauca ‘Pendula’ it is not so large, and can always be distinguished by the unique combination of strongly glaucous foliage and pendulous branches. It was discovered in the Trianon Park, Versailles, France before 1867 (Carriere 1867; Auders & Spicer 2012).
'PR No 1 Weeper'
Found in the wild in Nova Scotia by Greg Williams, like other pendulous forms this plant forms a small, narrow tree with strongly pendulous branches and rather short, glaucous leaves. To 2 m tall in ten years but incredibly svelte, typically spreading no more than 0.7 m across in the same time frame (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Pyramidalis Compacta'
A slow-growing plant forming a narrow pyramid of glaucous foliage, to 1.5 m tall in ten years and about half as wide. Recorded from UK cultivation before 1985 but further details are lacking (Auders & Spicer 2012); it might be a nursery’s renaming of an older cultivar.
'Rainbow's End'
‘Rainbow’s End’ arose as a mutation on a specimen of Picea glauca ‘Conica’ at the Iseli Nursery, Oregon in 1978. The new growth is a bright creamy-yellow that quickly fades to mid-green, but unusually this spring spectacle is reliably repeated when plants produce a second flush in mid-summer. Despite the observation that ‘Rainbow’s End’ seems to require a continental climate to be seen to its best advantage (Auders & Spicer 2012) this has become a popular selection on both sides of the Atlantic, including in the maritime climate of the UK. Although a slow-growing plant, ‘Rainbow’s End’ misses the definition of dwarf used here, reaching 1.2 m tall after ten years, and is thus not treated with those other dwarf cultivars that remain less than 1 m tall and broad after ten years. The Iseli Nursery describe its ultimate proportions and habit as being similar to those of ‘Conica’ (Iseli Nursery 14/6/25).
'Sanders Blue'
A slow-growing plant, but at 1.5 m tall after ten years not meeting the definition of dwarf used here (remaining less than 1 m tall and broad in ten years). A sport of ‘Conica’ sent by Sanders to the Iseli Nursery, Oregon in 1978 and named for the compact, pyramidal habit and the good slate-blue colouration (Auders & Spicer 2012). One feature of this plant is the way certain branches gradually revert to mid-green; the growth is too dense for these to be pruned out, and so plants gradually develop a patchwork of blue and green foliage (Iseli Nursery 2025). It remains in commerce on both sides of the Atlantic.
'Sanders Fastigiate'
At just 1.2 m tall in ten years this cultivar very nearly qualifies as a dwarf as defined here. Like ‘Sanders Blue’ it originated as a mutation on ‘Conica’ received from Sanders at the Iseli Nursery, Oregon in 1978. It forms a slender plant with strongly fastigiate branches and green leaves (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Spring Sunshine'
A selection from the Memorial University of Newfoundland introduced after 2009, having been discovered on a nearby roadside among a natural population. The new growth is brilliant yellow, and this is maintained for several weeks before fading to typical glaucous-green. Ultimately a small, broadly pyramidal tree that might achieve 1.2 m height after ten years in favourable conditions (Iseli Nursery 14/6/25).
'Yellow Spring'
Very similar to Picea glauca ‘Dent’ (see above) but differing in the typical foliage being dark green, rather than glaucous green. Raised before 2002 by Robert Fincham (Auders & Spicer 2012).
'Yukon Blue'
Listed by the Iseli Nursery of Oregon in 2009, this is one of the most striking blue forms to have entered commerce in recent years. The foliage is aptly described as ‘electric blue’ and is borne on strongly upright (though not fastigiate) plants that form a broad-based pyramid up to 2 m tall in ten years (Iseli Nursery 14/6/25). Several references highlight the large terminal buds that stand out against the leaf colour. More vigorous than ‘Conica’, to which all Picea glauca cultivars seem to be compared, fairly or not (Auders & Spicer 2012).
