Trees to 25 m tall; 75 cm in diameter, winter buds glabrous and resinous, bark gray- or red-brown, flaking; crown pyramidal; branchlets initially yellowish brown, or reddish brown; Leaves quadrangular-linear, curved, 10-12(20)mm × 1.2-2mm; monoecious, seed cones publish, maturing yellowish brown, mature seed cones 6-8cm × 2.5-3.5cm. Seed scales at middle of cones obovate-oblong, 120-130, rounded or obtuse. Seeds dark gray, obovoid, 4-4.5mm × 2- 2.5mm, wing 10mm long
Pollination May-Jun
Seed maturity Sep-Oct.
Distribution China Northeastern, Far eastern Russia; Jagang, Ryangang to Hamkyonbuk-do, mexic lowland or subalpine. 

Taxonomic Remarks: Koropachinskiy and Vstovskaya (2002) reported that P. koraiensis Nakai and P. pungsanensis Uyeki were treated synonyms of P. obovata Ledeb. However, recent molecular studies did not support this treatment. Picea pungsanensis was described as differing from P. koraiensis by having a slightly longer leaf length (20-33mm vs 10-12mm) in twigs of seed cones, acute tips and serrate margins of seed scales. These diagnostic characteristics are not well correlated and occur rather sporadically.  Because of these intermediate characters between two taxa, P. koraiensis is treated here in the broad sense.