Abies alba 'Green Spiral' / Green Spiral European silver fir

Abies alba 'Green Spiral' is an upright weeping form of European silver fir with a strong central leader, with the branches spirally descending around it, with the lateral branches and stems pointing downward in short curves. Needles are short and dense.

[ Arthur Lee Jacobson in North American Landscape Trees ] 'Green Spiral' is a twisted, narrowly pendulous, semi-dwarf, 30-feet (9 m) tall, cone-less tree, that is propagated by specialist nurseries.

This cultivar is an one clone, but was only named in 1979 by Sir Humphrey Welch. The original specimen was received by Secrest Arboretum of Wooster, Ohio in 1916 as a 1 foot (30 cm) tall grafted plant from Biltmore Nursery of Asheville, North Carolina, under the name 'Tortuosa' (which is a proper dwarf).

(Jacobson, 1996)

Abies alba 'Green Spiral' These specimens are growing at Secrest Arboretum in Wooster, Ohio. They are by far the best examples of this cultivar I have ever seen. This photo does not do them justice. For scale the street sign in front of the plants is about 10 feet tall. These particular specimens are mentioned in the Manual of Cultivated Conifers by Krussman. They are reported to be planted as a high graft in 1916. Delivered from Biltmore Nursery as Abies alba 'Tortuosa'.
Photo by Bill Barger
Abies alba 'Green Spiral' — a mature specimen in a large arboretum setting.
Photo by Bill Barger

Comments

Jane Allen

How much shade will they take?

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Maxwell Cohn

Hi Jane, to look and perform its best, this conifer needs at least 6 hours of direct sun. The less sun you give it, the weaker and less attractive the plant will be.

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Holly Subia

How much sun and heat will it take. Looking to replace a couple of trees that where in full sun on a west facing wall. In the high desert in California.

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