Picea farreri

Ferrer’s spruce is a member of the pine or Pinaeae family and is native to China (western Yunnan province (the Nu Jiang valley)) as well as northern Myanmar (Fen-Shui-Ling valley). It can grow to a height of 35 m. Many authors do not recognize this spruce as a distinct species, but rather a variety of Sargent spruce, i.e. P. brachytyla var. farreri.

• The crown of a mature tree is pyramidal to conical, with narrow branches which spread short and horizontally.
• Needle-like leaves are linear, slightly curved on the upper side, flattened, 1.8–2.3 cm long, acute-pointed, and covered with bright, snow-white wax on the upper surfaces, with distinct white stomatal bands on upper surfaces. Needles are on pegs (sterigmata) which are covered with fine hairs.
• Pollen cones are cylindrical, downward-facing, 7–14 mm long and 4 mm across, red-brown in color with slender stocks. Seed cones are non-fragmenting, narrow-cylindrical, 7–12 cm long and 3–4 cm across when open, red-purple when young, maturing to brown in September. Cone scales are 8–10 mm long, thin, orbicular-obovate.
• Branches are slender, growing spreading to slightly descending. Bark is gray-brown, fissured, peeling off in scales.