Picea abies 'Cranstonii' is a massive, fast-growing, openly pyramidal tree form of Norway spruce with long thick intertwining branches and sparse laterals. Needles are long, dense and dark-green in color. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 20 feet (6 m) or more tall and two-thirds as wide, an average annual growth rate of 2 feet (60 cm) or more. It's unique structural presence creates a powerful statement in a large landscape or arboretum.
This conifer is quite similar in structure to P. abies 'Virgata,'™ another large-growing snake spruce. The major distinction is the nature of the lateral branching. If they are generally flat and horizontal, the plant in question is 'Virgata.'™ If the branching is more upward-facing, it'™s a 'Cranstonii.'™ In the U.S. nursery trade, the cultivars are often confused and interchanged by growers.
This cultivar originated as seedling selected in the early 1840s by Cranston Nursery, Hereford, United Kingdom.
