A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. Picea is the sole genus in the subfamily Piceoideae. Spruces are large trees, from about 20–60 m tall when mature, and have whorled branches and conical form. They can be distinguished from other members of the pine family by their needles (leaves), which are four-sided and attached singly to small persistent peg-like structures on the branches, and by their cones, which hang downwards after they are pollinated. The needles are shed when 4–10 years old, leaving the branches rough with the retained pegs. In other similar genera, the branches are fairly smooth.
The Russian Far East is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia, and is administered as part of the Far Eastern Federal District, which is located between Lake Baikal and the Pacific Ocean—and shares land borders with Mongolia, China, and North Korea to its south, as well as maritime boundaries with Japan to its southeast, and with the United States along the Bering Strait to its northeast.
Picea abies, the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very closely related to the Siberian spruce, which replaces it east of the Ural Mountains, and with which it hybridizes freely. The Norway spruce has a wide distribution for it being planted for its wood, and is the species used as the main Christmas tree in several countries around the world. It was the first gymnosperm to have its genome sequenced. The Latin specific epithet abies means “fir-like”.
Picea jezoensis, the dark-bark spruce, Ezo spruce, Yezo spruce, or Jezo spruce, is a large evergreen tree growing to 30–50 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 2 m. It is native to northeast Asia, from the mountains of central Japan and the Changbai Mountains on the China-North Korea border, north to eastern Siberia, including the Sikhote-Alin, Kuril Islands, Sakhalin and Kamchatka. It is found in cold but humid temperate rain forests, and nowhere does its range extend more than 400 km from the Pacific Ocean. The specific epithet jezoensis derives from Ezo, an old name for Hokkaido and other islands north of the Japanese island of Honshu, where the species is found.
Picea meyeri is a species of spruce native to Nei Mongol in the northeast to Gansu in the southwest and also inhabiting Shanxi, Hebei and Shaanxi.
Picea koraiensis, the Korean spruce, is a species of spruce.
Picea schrenkiana, Schrenk's spruce, or Asian spruce, is a spruce native to the Tian Shan mountains of central Asia in western China (Xinjiang), Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It grows at altitudes of 1,200–3,500 metres, usually in pure forests, sometimes mixed with the Tien Shan variety of Siberian fir. Its name was given in honour of Alexander von Schrenk (1816–1876).
Reginald John Farrer, was a traveller and plant collector. He published a number of books, although is best known for My Rock Garden. He travelled to Asia in search of a variety of plants, many of which he brought back to England and planted near his home village of Clapham, North Yorkshire.
Picea aurantiaca is a species of conifer in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is endemic to China, where it is only known from western Sichuan. Its common name is orange spruce.
Picea crassifolia, the Qinghai spruce, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found only in China.
Picea likiangensis, commonly known as Lijiang spruce, Lakiang spruce or Lijiang yunshan, is a species of spruce found in Bhutan and China. Its population has been reduced by 30% in 75 years by logging, and the species is therefore categorised as vulnerable by the IUCN.
Picea neoveitchii is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found only in China. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Picea purpurea, also known as purple cone spruce and purple-coned spruce is a species of spruce found only in China. It is likely to be a hybrid species produced by crosses between Picea likiangensis and Picea wilsonii, or possibly involving other species.
Picea retroflexa, the Tapao Shan spruce, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae that is endemic to China, growing in West Sichuan, Kangding, Jiuzhaigou, Qinghai, and Ban Ma Xian. Its limited habitat is threatened by habitat loss due to logging, fires, and grazing.
Picea wilsonii is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found only in China.
The Helan Shan pika or silver pika is a species of mammal in the pika family, Ochotonidae. It is endemic to China where it is found in a small region of the Helan Mountains. It is listed as "Endangered" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as of 2016.
Allium cyathophorum is a Chinese species of flowering plant in the onion genus Allium of the family Amaryllidaceae. It grows at elevations from 2700 metres up to 4600 metres.
Farrer's scallop, also known as the Chinese scallop, is a species of marine bivalve mollusk is the scallop family; Pectinidae.
Iris farreri is a beardless iris in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Limniris and in the series Tenuifoliae of the genus. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial, from China. It has grey-green leaves, long stem and 1 or 2 violet, lilac or light blue flowers. It has undergone several changes of name and series, before being left as Iris farreri.
