Picea abies 'Sargentii' is a dwarf, flattened-globose selection of Norway spruce that with age, becomes broadly spreading. This plant is distinctive through dense, thin branching and medium green needles that attain a yellow tint in winter. It bears a superficial resemblance to P. abies 'Pumila Nigra' but is denser, neater and more procumbent with age. After 10 years of growth, a mature plant will measure 24 inches (60 cm) tall and 36 inches (90 cm) wide, an annual growth rate of around 2 inches (5 cm).
Sargent's spruce originated as a seedling selected in the early 1900s at the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The cultivar is named in honor of American botanist, Professor Charles Sprague Sargent, Arnold Arboretum's first director.