Picea jezoensis subsp. subsp. komarovii / Komarov's spruce

Picea jezoensis subsp. komarovii, as described in 1950 by V.N. Vassilev in Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae by W.C. Cheng & L.K. Fu, is commonly known as Komarov's spruce.

Description. This subspecies differs from the typical species in the following ways.

• Second year branchlets are yellowish brown in color, lighter than the type.
• Leaves (needles) measure 0.04 to 0.08 inch (1 - 2 cm) long, somewhat shorter than the type.
• Stomatal banding on the needles is greenish white in color, darker than the type.
• Seed cones are 1.2 to 1.6 inches (3 - 4 cm) long, much smaller than the type.
• Seed scales are rhombic in outline, measuring 0.28 0.32 inch (7 - 8 mm) wide, slightly wider than the type.

Distribution. This subspecies is native to northeastern China — Jilin province and North Korea.

Hardy to at least USDA Zone 4 — cold hardiness limit between -10° and -0°F (-23.3° and -17.8°C).

Attribution from: K. Iwatsuki, T. Yamazaki, D.E. Boufford, and H. Ohba (editors); Flora of Japan, Volume 1. Pteridophyta and Gymnospermae; ©1995 Kodansha, Tokyo, Japan.