Picea omorika

Picea omorika, common name Pančić spruce or Serbian spruce (Панчићева оморика, Pančićeva omorika, pâːnt͡ʃit͡ɕɛv̞a ɔmɔ̌rika), 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 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. (All other spruces are smrča.) It is a medium-sized evergreen tree growing to tall, exceptionally , with a trunk diameter of up to . The shoots are buff-brown, and densely pubescent (hairy). The leaves are needle-like, 10–20 mm long, flattened in cross-section, dark blue-green above, and blue-white below. The cones are long, fusiform (spindle-shaped, broadest in the middle), dark purple (almost black) when young, maturing dark brown 5–7 months after pollination, with stiff scales. Outside its native range, Serbian spruce is of major importance as an ornamental tree in large gardens, valued in northern Europe and North America for its very attractive crown form and ability to grow on a wide range of soils, including alkaline, clay, acid and sandy soil, although it prefers moist, drained loam. It is also grown to a small extent in forestry for Christmas trees, timber and paper production, particularly in northern Europe, though its slow growth makes it less important than Sitka spruce or Norway spruce. In cultivation, it has produced hybrids with the closely related Black spruce P. × Machala and also with Sitka spruce. The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit: Picea omorika Picea omorika ′Nana′ (dwarf form) Picea omorika ′Pendula′ (weeping form) Because of its limited range, it is not a major source of nutrition to wildlife, but does provide cover for birds and small mammals. Prior to the Pleistocene ice ages, it had a much larger range throughout most of Europe.