Conifer Database - Morrison West

Conifer Trees Database

Welcome to the American Conifer Society Database

Established in 1983, our mission is centered on advocating for the integration of conifer trees in garden designs and landscapes. We are dedicated to educating enthusiasts and the general public about the proper care, cultivation, and conservation of these majestic and diverse evergreens.

    
Picea abies ‘Morrison West’

Picea abies

Picea abies 'Morrison West' is a slow-growing, symmetrically globose, miniature selection of Norway spruce with tight, uniform branching and radially arranged, medium green needles. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 10 inches (25 cm) tall and wide, an annual growth rate of around 1 inch (2.5 cm).

This cultivar originated as a witch's broom found in the mid-1980s by Justin "Chub" Harper of Moline, Illinois and Randy Dykstra of Fulton. It was one of two broom trees that they found on the grounds of Morrison Cemetery, Morrison. In Harper's field notes, he described the broom as, "medium size and height, best of two." As for 'Morrison East,' he described it as, "medium size and height, not unusual." Clearly that one wasn't worthy of propagating.

It is uncertain whether of not this conifer exists in cultivation. If extant, one can possibly locate a specimen at Bickelhaupt arboretum, Clinton, Iowa, where many of Chub and Randy's witch's broom finds reside.




Picea abies

Picea abies

Picea abies

RECOMMENDED HARDINESS ZONES


HORTICULTURAL STATUS:Established / Published
COLOR:Medium Green
GROWTH SHAPE:Globe or Globose
GROWTH SIZE:Miniature: less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) per year / less than 12 inches (30 cm) after 10 years
ORIGIN:Witch's Broom


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