Picea abies 'Compacta Asselyn' / Compact Asselyn Norway spruce

Picea abies ‘Compacta Asselyn’ is a broadly conical and dense form of the Norway Spruce, with upright terminal leaders on each branch. It is superficially similar to P. abies ‘Compacta,’ but reported to have denser branching and shorter needles. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 5 feet (1.5 m) tall and wide, an annual growth rate of 4 to 6 inches (10 – 15 cm).

‘Compacta Asselyn’ is an old cultivar thought to have originated in The Netherlands in the early 1900s. Murray Hornibrook first describes it in the 1923 edition of, Dwarf and Slow-growing Conifers.

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This plant is located at the Chicago Botanical Gardens. The picture was taken in 2000 on a day when the mercury topped 107 deg. F. The bright day may have given the plant a lighter appearance than what is normal for the cultivar.
Photo by Ken Church
Picea abies 'Compacta Asselyn' at Bickelhaupt Arboretum, Clinton, Iowa in the Heartland Collection of Dwarf and Rare Conifers.
Photo by Dax Herbst
Picea abies 'Compacta Asselyn' — Green Industry Images; copyrighted photograph; permission granted.
Photo by Ernie Wiegand
Picea abies 'Compacta Asselyn' — Green Industry Images; copyrighted photograph; permission granted.
Photo by Ernie Wiegand
Picea abies 'Compact Asselyn' at Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, Michigan, 1981 accession.
Photo by Frank Richards
Picea abies 'Compact Asselyn' at Dawes Arboretum, Newark, Ohio, 1994 accession.
Photo by Dawes Arboretum website

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