A tree up to 150 ft high in the wild; bark grey or purplish grey, fissured; buds ovoid, resinous; young shoots usually pale brown or yellowish grey, more or less hairy; leaf-pegs unusually long. Leaves four-angled, slightly broader than high in cross-section, 3⁄8 to 5⁄8 in. long, acute and bevelled at the apex, those on the upper side of the shoot pointed forward, the lower leaves more or less pectinately arranged, grey-green or dark green on the exposed side, glaucous or silvery on the ventral side. Cones ovoid, 2 to 21⁄2 in. long, 11⁄2 to 13⁄4 in. wide; cone-scales flexible, the upper part ovate, rounded, wavy, spreading outward after ripening.

P. likiangensis is of wide range in Western China and extends into Tibet; discovered by the French missionary Delavay in the Lichiang range of Yunnan in 1884. Forrest sent seeds from this area in 1910 (F.6746), but the first introduction was by Wilson six years earlier, from W. Szechwan (W.1834), when collecting for Messrs Veitch. Even from a single seed collection P. likiangensis varies considerably in the colour and degree of hairiness of the shoots, colour of the leaves, etc.

Although subject to damage by late frosts when young, this spruce grows well in the British Isles and deserves to be more commonly planted; at present it is rarely seen outside collections. The young cones and male flower-clusters are brilliant red. Some examples are: Wakehurst Place, Sussex, 56 × 51⁄4 ft (1969) and 59 × 5 ft (1968); Warnham Court, Sussex, from W.1834, 69 × 51⁄2 ft (1971); Borde Hill, Sussex, from F.6746, 56 × 51⁄4 ft (1968); National Pinetum, Bedgebury, Kent, pl. 1926, 48 × 61⁄4 ft (1968); Stanage Park, Radnor, pl. 191o, 71 × 6 ft (1970); Edinburgh Botanic Garden, from F.6746, 46 × 43⁄4 ft (1970); Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow, Eire, 68 × 61⁄4 ft (1966).

From the Supplement (Vol. V)

This is portrayed in Bot. Mag., n.s., t.873.

specimens: Wakehurst Place, Sussex, 62 × 51⁄4 ft and 56 × 6 ft (1980); Borde Hill, Sussex, The Tolls, from Forrest 6746, 59 × 43⁄4 ft (1978); National Pinetum, Bedgebury, Kent, pl. 1926, 62 × 7 ft (1981); Hergest Croft, Heref., pl. 1928, 82 × 6 ft (1985); Stanage Park, Powys, pl. 1910, 77 × 61⁄4 ft (1978); Beaufront Castle, Northumb., 69 × 7 ft (1982); Edinburgh Botanic Garden, from Forrest 6746, 62 × 53⁄4 ft and 46 × 5 ft (1985); Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow, Eire, 77 × 53⁄4 ft (1980); Birr Castle, Co. Offaly, Eire, 77 × 53⁄4 ft (1980); Abbeyleix, Co. Laois, Eire, 56 × 51⁄2 ft (1985).

var. balfouriana – The only examples recorded are two at Dawyck, Peebl., both measuring 66 × 4 ft (1982), and one in the Edinburgh Botanic Garden, from W.4080, 56 × 33⁄4 ft (1985).

var. purpurea – specimens: Wakehurst Place, Sussex, 57 × 41⁄4 ft (1980) and 56 × 41⁄2 ft (1974); Borde Hill, Sussex, 60 × 31⁄4 ft (1974); Petworth House, Sussex, 77 × 41⁄2 ft (1983); Vernon Holme, Kent, 60 × 41⁄4 ft (1973); Westonbirt, Glos., pl. 1931, 77 × 41⁄4 ft (1980); Eastnor Castle, Heref., 58 × 43⁄4 ft and 70 × 51⁄2 ft (1984); Headfort, Co. Meath, Eire, 60 × 51⁄4 ft (1980).

From New Trees

Picea likiangensis (Franch.) E. Pritz.

Likiang Spruce

This comparatively familiar species with beautiful young cones was described by Bean (B188, S365) and Krüssmann (K194) and reviewed by Hunt (Hunt 1983), but the taxonomy has since been revised and a number of new names and concepts are in circulation. The status quo is the position of the Flora of China account (Fu et al. 1999c) and Farjon’s World Checklist (2001), both of which accept five varieties within the species (vars. likiangensis, hirtella, linzhiensis, montigena, rubescens), plus the related Picea purpurea Mast. (see Bean and Krüssmann: B118, K195, in both cases as P. likiangensis var. purpurea (Mast.) Dallim. & A.B. Jacks.). In a recent paper, however, Rushforth (2008) has reviewed the P. likiangensis complex and makes some very convincing proposals for rationalising the names and concepts within it, based not only on morphological characters but on his own extensive knowledge of the distribution of the taxa in the Sino-Himalaya. In addition to P. likiangensis subsp. likiangensis and P. purpurea, Rushforth (2008) recognises P. linzhiensis as a full species, while the three other varieties are treated together as subsp. balfouriana. The two classifications differ principally in the interpretation of the status of the taxa involved; we follow Rushforth’s view here as it has advantages to the horticultural community in simplifying the nomenclature of this difficult group, but also clearly represents the desirable biological species concept so often overlooked in herbarium-based studies. A key to the taxa is presented below.