Picea pungens 'Aurea' / golden Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Aurea' is a large, upright, tree form of Colorado spruce with golden-yellow needles that fade to to duller shade of yellow by fall. If planted in shade, needles will lack nearly all of the yellow coloration. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 12 feet (4 m) tall, and 2-thirds as wide, an annual growth rate of around 12 inches (30 cm)
Adrian Bloom gives a good comparative description of the golden Colorado Spruces in his book Gardening With Conifers . He states,
Selections with both golden-yellow growth and needles are P. pungens 'Aurea' with its best color in winter; P. pungens 'Lutea', deeper yellow, with gold on the needles only if exposed to light, and the compact P. pungens 'Stanley Gold', with a good year-round color. Many of these golden and variegated selections are rather prone to spring frost damage and sun scorch so they are not always satisfactory garden plants, but this should not put off keener gardeners. All need good light but shelter from early morning sun."
I will add that the picture attached below shows a specimen in the Chicago Botanical Garden. The picture was taken on a day in July in 1999 when the temperature was about 107°F. The tree stood out from all of the surrounding plants clearly as a yellow-green plant. It did not seem to suffer at all from direct sunlight. It is not unusual for larger plants to better withstand sun burn in the summer. Often the color of larger plants is also less aureous than young plants.
This cultivar originated as a seedling selected around 1905 by W.F. Niemetz Nursery , Temesvár Hungary, now Timișoara, Romania.
This picture is of a mature tree. The picture was taken in 1999 on a day in July when the temperature was about 107°F. The tree is in the Chicago Botanical Gardens, Illinois.
Photo by Ken Church
Picea pungens 'Aurea' — photo record donated by Richard and Susan Eyre.
Photo by Rich's Foxwillow Pines Nursery, Inc
Picea pungens 'Aurea'
— a young specimen growing in Bickelhaupt Arboretum, Clinton, Iowa in the Heartland Collection of Garden Conifers, March 2004. The second leader to the right should be removed.
Photo by Dax Herbst
Picea pungens 'Aurea' / golden Colorado spruce
RECOMMENDED HARDINESS ZONES:
3 (-30 to -40 F / -34.4 to -40 C)
HORTICULTURAL STATUS: Established
ORIGIN: Seedling Selection
COLOR: Yellow or Gold
TRINOMIAL TYPE: Cultivar
GROWTH SHAPE: Conical (Pyramidal)
GROWTH SIZE: Intermediate: 6 to 12 inches (15 – 30 cm) per year / 5 to 10 feet (1.5 – 3 m) after 10 years
Download QR code image to use on plant tags
Explore other Picea pungens trinomial
-- Select a Trinomial --
Picea pungens 'A.S.' / A.S. Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Arcuata' / arched Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Argentea' / silvery Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Baby Blue Eyes' / Baby Blue Eyes Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Bakeri' / Baker's Colorado blue spruce
Picea pungens 'Barabits Blue' / Barabits Blue Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Bastion' / Bastion Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Benno' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Bialobok' / Bialobok Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Bizon Blue' / Bizon Blue Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Blaukissen' / Blaukissen Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Blaukissen' / Blaukissen Colorado blue spruce
Picea pungens 'Blue Kiss' / Blue Kiss Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Blue Moon' / Blue Moon Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Blue Pearl' / Blue Pearl Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Blue Spreader'
Picea pungens 'Blue Stoplight' / Blue Stoplight Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Blue Totem' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Blue Trinket'
Picea pungens 'Bob's Broom' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Brynek' / Brynek Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Burl Jean' / Burl Jean Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'C Blue' / C Blue Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Candlestick' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Cedar Ridge Flat Top' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Cedar Ridge Gold Mine' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Cedar Ridge Lolly Pop' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Chip's Catch' / Chip's Catch Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Christina' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Columnaris'
Picea pungens 'Compacta' / Compact Blue Spruce
Picea pungens 'Compacta Thume' / Synonym for P. p. Thuem - Index # 102063
Picea pungens 'Copeland'
Picea pungens 'Corbet' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Dani' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Delp's Dwarf' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Dietz Prostrate' / Dietz Prostrate Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Donna's Rainbow' / Donna's Rainbow Dwarf Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Dwarf Blue'
Picea pungens 'Dwarf Blue (White's)'
Picea pungens 'Early Cones' / Early Cones Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Ed Wood' / Ed Wood Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Egyptian Pyramid' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Emerald Cushion'
Picea pungens 'Endtz'
Picea pungens 'Erich Frahm' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Fastigiata' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Fat Albert' / Fat Albert Colorado blue spruce
Picea pungens 'Filip's Blue Compact' / Filip's Blue Compact Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Flavescens'
Picea pungens 'Foxtail'
Picea pungens 'Frieda' / Frieda Colorado blue spruce
Picea pungens 'Furst Bismarck'
Picea pungens 'Gail's Skyline' / Gail’s Skyline Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Gebelle's Golden Spring' / Gebelle's Golden Spring Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Gentry's Gem'
Picea pungens 'Gerald's Dwarf Blue' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Girard Dwarf' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Glauca Compacta' / blue compact Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa'
Picea pungens 'Glauca Nana Pendula'
Picea pungens 'Glauca Pendula' / Weeping Blue Spruce
Picea pungens 'Glauca Procumbens' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Glauca Prostrata' / Prostrate Blue Spruce
Picea pungens 'Globe'
Picea pungens 'Globosa' / globose Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Golden Feather' / Golden Feather Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Goldie' / Now known as Picea pungens 'Walnut Glen'
Picea pungens 'Goodard Gold'
Picea pungens 'Gotelli Prostrate' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Green Globe'
Picea pungens 'Green Spire'
Picea pungens 'Hartsel' / Hartsel Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Hermann Naue' / Hermann Naue Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Hillside' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Hillside #1'
Picea pungens 'Hoopsi' / Synonym of Picea pungens 'Hoopsii' - Index#102022
Picea pungens 'Hoopsii' / Hoops' Colorado blue spruce
Picea pungens 'Hoto'
Picea pungens 'Hunnewelliana'
Picea pungens 'Ice Blue'
Picea pungens 'Iseli Emerald Cushion'
Picea pungens 'Iseli Fastigiate' / Iseli Fastigiate Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Iseli Foxtail' / Iseli's Foxtail Blue Spruce
Picea pungens 'Iseli Snowkist'
Picea pungens 'J. James'
Picea pungens 'Jack Corbet'
Picea pungens 'Jan Byczkowski' / Jan Byczkowski Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'JB's Broom' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Jean Iseli'
Picea pungens 'Jim'
Picea pungens 'Kleinod Luusbarg'
Picea pungens 'Kluis'
Picea pungens 'Koster' / Koster's Blue Spruce
Picea pungens 'Linda's Mad Dancer' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Lombarts'
Picea pungens 'Lucky Strike'
Picea pungens 'Lucretia' / Lucretia Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Lutea'
Picea pungens 'Luusbarg'
Picea pungens 'Mesa Verde' / Mesa Verde Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Microphylla'
Picea pungens 'Millbrook' / Millbrook Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Millburn'
Picea pungens 'Mission Blue'
Picea pungens 'Moerheim' / Moerheim Blue Spruce
Picea pungens 'Moll'
Picea pungens 'Montgomery' / Montgomery Colorado blue spruce
Picea pungens 'Mrs. Cesarini' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Offutt' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Offutt' / Offuit Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Oldenburg'
Picea pungens 'Orphan' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Orphan Spring' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Otto Van Bismark'
Picea pungens 'Pali' / Pali Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Pendula' / Weeping Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Pinedale' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Porcupine' / Porcupine Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Procumbens' / Procumbens Blue Spruce
Picea pungens 'Prostrata' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Prostrata Wells' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Prostrate Blue Mist'
Picea pungens 'Regal Chub' / Regal Chub Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Rifle Blue' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Royal Blue' / Royal Blue Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Royal Knight' / Royal Knight Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Ruby Teardrops' / Ruby Teardrops Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Saint Mary's Broom' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Schovenhorst'
Picea pungens 'Schwartz'
Picea pungens 'Scottie' / Scottie Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Sester Dwarf' / Sester Dwarf Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Shilo-weeping' / Shilo-Weeping Blue Spruce
Picea pungens 'Shilow Weeping' / Shiloh Weeping Colorado Blue Spruce
Picea pungens 'Skyline' / Skyline Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Snowkiss' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Spek'
Picea pungens 'Spring Ghost' / Spring Ghost Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'St. Mary' / St. Mary Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Stanley Gold' / Stanley Gold Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Sunshine' / 'Sunshine' Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'The Blues' / The Blues weeping Colorado blue spruce
Picea pungens 'Thomsen' / Thomsen Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Thuem' / Thuem Blue Spruce
Picea pungens 'Tiffin' / Tiffin Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Toponas' / Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens 'Virgata'
Picea pungens 'Viridis'
Picea pungens 'Vuyk'
Picea pungens 'Waldbrunn' / Waldbrunn Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Walnut Glen' / Walnut Glen Colorado spruce
Picea pungens 'Yvette'
Want to stay informed?
Sign up for our free quarterly E-newsletter List
Sign up now
Support the ACS
This database was developed and is maintained by dedicated volunteers. If you are are using it and are not a member, consider joining or donating to the ACS to support this and our other educational projects.
Donate Now
Contribute to our database
This database was developed and is maintained by dedicated volunteers. If you are are using it and are not a member, consider joining or donating to the ACS to support this and our other educational projects.
Submit information
Contribute your photos to Picea pungens 'Aurea'
×
Comments