Picea abies 'Fat Cat' is dense, globose, dwarf selection of Norway spruce with short symmetrical branching and very short, stiff, medium-green needles. The originating nursery claims that its structure gives it the appearance of a rotund, green cat, curled up in a ball for a snooze. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 4 feet (1.2 m) tall and wide, an annual growth rate of 3 to 5 inches (7.5 - 12.5 inches).
This cultivar originated as a witch's broom found in 1994, found on a specimen of P. abies 'Graciosa.' Iseli Nursery obtained the anonymously discovered broom, brought it into production and named it, honoring lazy, slumbering felines everywhere. Our friends at Iseli recommend not "petting its fur."
