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 1,200 –, 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 40 - 50 m tall (rarely to 60 m), with a trunk diameter of up to 1 - 2 m. 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 – long, rhombic in cross-section, dark green with inconspicuous stomatal lines. The cones are cylindrical–conic, 6 –long and 2 cm broad, purple when young, maturing dark brown and opening to 2.5 – broad 5–7 months after pollination; the scales are moderately stiff and smoothly rounded.

Subspecies

There are two subspecies: 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.