Fig. 7.—The Norway Spruce.
How to tell them from each other: The needles and branches of the spruce are coarse; those of the hemlock are flat and graceful. The individual leaves of the spruce, [Fig. 9], are four-sided and green or blue on the under side, while those of the hemlock, [Fig. 10], are flat and are marked by two white lines on the under side.
The Norway Spruce (Picea excelsa)
Distinguishing characters: The characteristic appearance of the full-grown tree is due to the drooping branchlets carried on main branches which bend upward ([Fig. 7]).
Leaf: The leaves are dark green in color and are arranged spirally, thus making the twigs coarser to the touch than the twigs of the hemlock or fir. In cross-section, the individual leaflet is quadrilateral, while that of the pine is triangular.
Form and size: A large tree with a straight, undivided trunk and a well-shaped, conical crown ([Fig. 7]).
Range: Northern Europe, Asia, northern North America.
Soil and location: Grows in cool, moist situations.