They can as P. x lutzii and P. x fennica would indicate.

Hmm so is it not recommended that I grow hondo spruce from seeds if I am expecting it to be a pure hondo spruce? It won't become true to seed?

the only way to guarantee a pure species is to collect seed from a pure stand in Japan. Have you had your plant genetically tested? Unless it's grown from Japanese-sourced seed, you have no way of knowing that your plant is a hybrid as well.

If you want to play with seedling production, I recommend getting good seed from somebody like Scheffields

https://sheffields.com/Conifer-Seeds-for-sale/-opt-/view_mode/genus_/start/72

Ok I won't collect the seeds myself to propagate it then. I've been looking at sheffields too and they seem to be a reputable one. The only thing I'm a bit iffy about is the collection locale of the seeds. For example I was looking to buy chamaecyparis obtusa seeds but it states it was collected from china. And they don't even exist in china! So somethings definitely wrong there.

Of course they exist in China!! They may not be native but they were introduced ages ago and are naturalized in Guangdong, Guangxi, Henan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shandong, and Yunnan, where they are planted for timber and afforestation.

Sorry I worded it wrong. I meant native. I'm worried that they might be a chinese variety of chamaecyparis rather than the Japanese var. obtusa.

Oh ok. So wait, you're saying a conifer with a cultivar can also be grown from seed and be that same cultivar? For example I also see a cryptomeria japonica 'lobbii' seed sold at sheffields too. Now thats a cultivar. If I purchase the seeds from them and grow it from seed, will it become the true cryptomeria japonica 'lobbii'?

I would do that if I only have the patience to wait that long lol. Even if I do wait until they become seedlings and if they were in fact hybrid, it still might be very hard to tell. Especially spruces, they all look similar. Except picea abies which has pendulous branches

No seedlings resulting from C. Japonica 'Lobbii' can legally be called 'Lobbii.' If an interesting seedling results, it must have a unique cultivar name.

P.S. not all Picea abies have pendulous branching ... breweriana and smithiana, on the other hand, do.

David, but will the seedling still have the same characteristics of 'lobbii'?

Embothrium,

Also if you undertake additional, comprehensive reading about this particular species of spruce on the web and in college libraries you will probably find information about how frequently it has been seen to hybridize, both in nature and in collections. You may find that there is not a high likelihood of this species yielding hybrid seed.

I did do some research and one site stated that this particular spruce hybridizes freely with other spruces. But I don't really understand the last part of your sentence. You said they are frequently seen to hybridize yet you say the likelihood of it having a hybrid seed is low? Those 2 sentences conflict with each other...

The seedlings might be similar to 'Lobbii' or they might not. It doesn't matter because they won't be clones.

Heruga,

This is like children of the same parents. Sure there might be similarities but they can also be quite different. Just like a baby, you won’t know what you will have until it starts growing up.

Alright thanks, another new thing I learned. So somewhat going back in topic with my original question.. are most of the spruces we see in landscapes grafted? If they don't reliably become true to seed and won't root from cuttings(I heard they are incredibly difficult to root) then grafting would be the only way right? Do grafted spruces have shorter lifespans?

It's very hard to find seeds of native plants collected in Japan. I've looked. At places like Sheffield Seeds, most Japanese species will come from Chinese sources. In fact an online acquaintance living in Japan and gardening for years there told me he knew of no company in Japan selling native collected conifer seeds. That isn't to say there isn't such a thing, but that it isn't generally known.

"Do grafted spruces have shorter lifespans?"

Not if it's done correctly.

Yea I've been looking at all the collection locales too and most seem to come from somewhere outside of its native range. However the prunus sargentii seeds looks like it came from Japan so I guess thats going to be a real one.

Well right now I have 3 picea hondoensis grafted onto a picea abies and their growth rate is equivalent to that of a dwarf tree. Grafted in 2006 and I got it this spring, repotted it and its only about 2-3 ft tall still. New growth about 2-3 inches this year. Is picea abies a good rootstock for the hondo spruce?