4. The subject of research – a new form of siberian spruce

In the Sverdlovsk region a single example has been found of a new form of Siberian spruce. Its appearance very different from that of the typical spruce. Views of the crown and branches are shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. On the left - a general view of the new decorative form of Siberian spruce; right, its drooping, spiralling branches

The uniqueness of this spruce lies in the simultaneous combination a narrow columnar crown with drooping spiral branching, and suggests the high value of this form of Siberian spruce in landscape architecture.

5. A new brand on the market for landscape design

The preliminary title of this new form of Siberian spruce is P. obovata 'Fastigiata Uralica' Opletaev. “Fastigiata” describes a tree with a columnar shape, numerous branches, with shoots firmly pressed against the trunk and facing down. Since this taxon has a different set of characteristics – a pronounced narrow columnar crown shape and drooping branches of the spiral form, to give it the name reflecting only one morphological feature is not quite enough. It is therefore proposed to call the new form to reflect the crown shape, the place of its discovery and the discoverer. This leads to Siberian spruce 'Fastigiata Uralic' (P. obovata 'Fastigiata Uralica' Opletaev).

As the new form of Siberian spruce has great decorative potential, the authors propose starting the process of branding, industrial propagation, cultivation and promotion of 'Fastigiata Uralica' in the market for landscape design and urban greening.

6. Outlook

The authors have assessed the outlook of the genus Picea using a combination of factors, in accordance with the guidelines of the Central Botanical Garden and a number of other works [Bolotov, 1992; Gusev 2011; Zalesov et al., 2014].

Table 1. Suitability of the genus Picea for Cultivation of Picea

Outlook	Taxon designation	Score
		Maturing of the seedlings	Winter hardiness	Safeguarding of the habitat	Ability to form seedlings	Growth in height	Ability for generative reproduction	Ease of propagation	Overall assessment of likely introduction
Most promising	1. Siberian spruce 'Fastigiata Uralica' (Picea obovata var. ′Fastigiata Uralica′ Opletaev)	20	25	10	5	5	25	5	95
Promising	Prickly spruce (Picea pungens Engelm.)	15	15	10	3	5	25	5	78
Unpromising	Norway spruce (European) (Picea abies (L.) Karst.)	15	10	5	1	5	1	1	38

Conclusion: the Siberian spruce 'Fastigiata Uralica' belongs to the most promising group of members of the genus Picea in the Urals and in Russia.