Picea abies 'Hillside Upright' is a distinctly unusual fast-growing selection of Norway spruce with a heavy central leader, very sparse, irregular branching, and an occasional branch holding clusters of buds. Foliage is extremely dark-green and tapering like a foxtail toward a prominent, reddish brown terminal bud. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 4.5 feet (1.5 m) tall and 1.5 feet (50 cm) wide, an annual growth rate of 4 to 6 inches (10 - 15 cm)
This cultivar originated as a witch's broom found by around 1970 Layne Ziegenfuss of Hillside Nursery, Lehighton, Pennsylvania.
