Picea omorika

Picea omorika, the Serbian spruce (in Serbian: Панчићева оморика, Pančićeva omorika, pronounced [pâːnt͡ʃit͡ɕɛv̞a ɔmɔ̌rika], "Pančić's spruce"), is a species of coniferous tree endemic to the Drina River valley in western Serbia, and eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a total range of only about 60 ha, at 800–1,600 m (2,600–5,200 ft) altitude. It was originally discovered near the Serbian village of Zaovine, on Mount Tara, in 1875, and named by the Serbian botanist Josif Pančić; the specific epithet omorika is simply the Serbian word for the tree (other spruces are smrča in Serbian).

Description

A medium sized tree. It grows to 26 m high. It has a slender, graceful form. The lower branches droop and turn up at the ends. The needles are single, flattened and flexible. They are 10-20 mm long with a blunt point. There are 2 lines of white dots along the upper surface. The needles spread widely on both sides of the twig. The twigs are hairy. The seed cones are oval and 4-6 cm long. They are purplish black and taper to a short stalk. The scales are rounded and tightly fitting.

Edible Uses

Young male catkins can be eaten raw or cooked and used as a flavouring. Immature female cones are edible when cooked — the central portion becomes sweet and syrupy when roasted. The inner bark can be dried and ground into a powder for use as a soup thickener or bread additive, though it is an emergency food used only when nothing else is available. The seed is raw-edible but too small and fiddly to be worth collecting except in desperate circumstances. Young shoot tips make a refreshing tea that is rich in vitamin C.

Medicinal Uses

The young shoot tips provide a tea rich in vitamin C. No other medicinal uses are known.

Distribution

It suits temperate regions. In the Balkans it grows on limestone slopes between 800-1600 m altitude. It can tolerate alkaline soils and air pollution. It is hardy. It suits hardiness zones 4-9. Arboretum Tasmania.

Where It Grows

Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain, Canada, Europe, North America, Serbia, Slovenia, Tasmania, USA,

Propagation

Sow fresh seed in autumn in a cold frame to benefit from natural stratification, or sow stored seed as early in the year as possible under the same conditions. Light shade is preferable. Keep seed moist and cool during storage. Prick out seedlings into individual pots once large enough to handle and overwinter in a greenhouse or cold frame. Plant out into permanent positions in early summer the following year, or grow on in an outdoor nursery bed for a further season. Spring frost protection may be needed. Semi-ripe terminal shoot cuttings, 5–8cm long, taken in August in a frame, protected from frost, root in spring. Mature terminal shoot cuttings, 5–10cm long, taken September/October in a cold frame, take 12 months to root. Soft to semi-ripe wood cuttings taken in early summer in a frame are slow but reliable.

Other Uses

Moderately wind resistant, this species is sometimes planted in shelterbelts. The wood is valued in the pulp industry for paper production.

Production

It grows slowly.

Notes

There are between 30 and 40 species of Picea.

Also Known As

Omorika, Pančićeva smreka

References (12)

• Coombes, A.J., 2000, Trees. Dorling Kindersley Handbooks. p 64
• Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1041
• Farrar, J.L., 1995, Trees of the Northern United States and Canada. Iowa State University press/Ames p 108
• Harris, E & J., 1983, Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Britain. Reader's Digest. p 238
• Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 233

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