Picea abies 'Nidiformis'
Common name: 
Nest Spruce
Bird's Nest Spruce
Pronunciation: 
PI-see-a A-beez
Family: 
Pinaceae
Genus: 
Picea
Type: 
Conifer
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Conifer, evergreen dwarf shrub, spreading, dense, grows a flattened globe, eventually to 3+ ft (1 m) high and 4-6 ft (1.2-1.6 m) across.   Usually a more or less conspicuous nest form depression in the top of the plant giving rise to the common name.  Needles 7-10 mm long, becoming shorter toward shoot apex, [reportedly 8-10 sharp teeth, more or less appressed, on the margin (visible with a hand lens), is supposedly a reliable characteristic of this form; I'm not so sure.
  • Sun
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 2      Discovered in 1904 in a nursery in Germany.
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • plant habit, older plant

    plant habit, older plant

  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • branchlets, needles

    branchlets, needles

  • branchlets and needles

    branchlets and needles