Section 3 - Norway Spruce (PICEA ABIES (L.) KARST)

Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) belongs to the genus Picea, which includes at least 36 different species that all have their distribution in the northern hemisphere (Schmidt-Vogt 1977). The species P. abies has been designated by a large number of synonyms, partly caused by classification to different species or subspecies due to its great number of varieties and forms. The best known of these is the classification of the Siberian spruce in a separate species, P. obovata, based on the shape of its cone scales. These variations, however, should be considered as normal patterns of variation within a widespread species and should at most be used to designate different climatic varieties (Schmidt-Vogt 1977, 1978).