Spruce, Norway

Here we have the Norway Spruce, or Picea abies, a fast-growing tree often reaching heights of 40-60 feet. Despite its name, this tree hails from the Black Forest in Germany, not Norway, though it did spread across Europe, eventually reaching Norway. The Norway Spruce thrives in sunny, open spaces rather than forest enclosures and is extremely cold-hardy, able to survive most cold temperatures. This tree produces greenish-red seed cones that mature to a light brown color and are the largest of any spruce, reaching lengths of 9 to 17 centimeters. The leaves are dark green needles, just over 1 centimeter long.