Picea purpurea

紫果云杉 purple cone species

PinaceaePicea

Purple cone spruce is in the pine or Pinaceae family and is native to NW Sichuan, S. Gansu and E. Quinghai in China. It occurs at elevations between 2,600 m and 3,600 m, mostly on north-facing slopes. It is thought by some scientists to be a hybrid between Picea likiangensis and Picea wilsonii.

  • Leaves are needle-like, flattened-rhombic in cross-section, 7–12 mm long by 1.5-1.8 mm across. They are mounted on short pegs (sterigmata).
  • Branchlets are yellow, graying with age and densely pubescent.
  • Seed cones are pendulous, non-fragmenting, reddish to dark purple, ellipsoid, 2.5 – 6.0 cm long by 1.7–3.0 cm wide. Seed scales are rhombic-ovate, papery, undulate.
  • Bark is dark gray with scaly plates.

Contributors

  • Ross Bayton
  • Niall Corbet
  • Philippe de Spoelberch