Spruce

The common spruce, Picea abies, is an upright evergreen tree native to Europe and Asia in the genus Picea with a conical silhouette. Picea abies reaches a height of up to 40m. The trunk has a reddish-brown, finely scaled bark, which tends to turn grey in mountainous areas. The needles are sharp-pointed, square in cross-section. The common spruce develops carmine red to yellow flowers between May and June. In the course of months the woody "fir cones" develop from the inflorescences.

Naturopathy: Picea abis is, together with other species of the genus Abies or Picea, the parent plant of:

• Picea aetheroleum, the official spruce needle oil
• Piceae turiones recentes, the extract from the fresh spruce tips.

cosmetics.

• The essential oil from fresh needles, twig tips or branches is listed under the INCI designation "Picea excelsa oil".
• The extract from the buds is called "Picea excelsa extract".
• The extract from the needles is referred to as "Picea excelsa leaf extract".

1. https://arzneipflanzenlexikon.info/fichte.php