o:8759 Morpho-Anatomical Properties and Terpene Composition of Picea Omorika (Panˇci´c) Purk. Needles from Bosnia and Herzegovina en Picea omorika (Pančić) Purk., (Serbian spruce) is a relic, endemic, and vulnerable conifer that remains insufficiently studied to date. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the morpho-anatomical and phytochemical diversity of needles from three populations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The length of two-year-old needles was measured with a digital caliper. The next six properties were measured based on cross-sections of the needles using a light microscope. An analysis of volatile compounds was carried out using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and flame ionization detection (GC-FID). The highest values of needle traits were found in the Viogor population, with the lowest in the Tisovljak population, which was statistically confirmed. There was also a significant difference between needles from Bosnia and Herzegovina and those from Serbia. Bornyl acetate, camphene, limonene, and α-pinene were identified as the major terpene compounds. Multivariate analyses also suggested a tendency toward the separation of the Tisovljak population. A statistical comparison of three Bosnian and Herzegovinian and four Serbian populations (previously studied and published) revealed two distinct groups: (1) three Bosnian populations and the Vranjak population from Serbia, and (2) three populations from Serbia—Štula, Zmajevački Potok, and Mileševka Canyon. The general conclusions are that divergence in needle morpho-anatomy aligns with divergence in needle chemistry and that Bosnian and Herzegovinian populations are distinct from nearly all Serbian populations. Keywords: Picea omorika; Serbian spruce; population; morpho-anatomy; terpenes; multi variate statistics 1552099 10.3390/f16050791 1552101 1999-4907 2025-12-19T14:25:39.587Z 44 yes 46 Biljana M. Nikolić 0000-0002-2436-8294 46 Zorica S. Mitić 46 Dalibor Ballian 46 Marina M. Todosijević 46 Jelena S. Nikolić 46 Stefan Ivanović 46 Vele V. Tešević application/pdf 2584231 https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:8759 no yes 16 70 92000001 71A07 Forests 16 5 MDPI 2025