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Home > Spruce > White Spruce

White Spruce

The white spruce tree, also known as cat spruce and skunk spruce, is a coniferous tree found across North America.

White Spruce

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Plantae
Division Pinophyta
Class Pinopsida
Order Pinales
Family Pinaceae
Genus Picea
Scientific Name Picea glauca

White Spruce Trees

White Spruce Pictures

Quick Information

Other Names Canadian spruce, Black Hills spruce, Western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, Porsild spruce, Single spruce, Black Hills white spruce
Identification

Height: 50-100 ft. when mature

Needles (Leaves): Rigid, evergreen, 1/3 to 3/4inches long, the cross section is square, and the tips are pointy but not sharp, green to grey-green, pungent odor when crushed;needles borne on a woody peg

Trunk Diameter: 3.3 feet

Cones: Cylindrical, pendulous, slender, 1.25-2.75 inches long, 0.63 inches wide, flexible scales, thin, green or reddish, pale brown when mature

Seeds: Black, 0.09-0.13 inches in length and with a winglengthof 0.19-0.31 inches, pale brown in color

Distribution/Range Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon

United States: Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Also found in the French territory of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon

Habitat Floodplains, treeline sites and upland slopes, and other landscapes, at elevations from sea level up to 7,000 feet
Varieties
  • Picea glauca var. glauca
  • Picea glauca var. densata
  • Picea glauca var. albertiana
  • Picea glauca var. porsildii
Hardiness Zones 2-6
Growth Rate Medium, 12-24 inches per year
Lifespan 250-300 years
Growing Conditions

Soil Requirements: Loamy, acidic, sandy, moist, clay and well-drained soils

Light Requirement: Full sun, tolerates shade

Rainfall: 7.9 inches to 49.2 inches

Winter Conditions: Cold, drawn out winters are preferred

Summer Conditions: Short summers with cold temperatures

Diseases & Pests Spruce budworms, yellow-headed spruce sawfly, European spruce sawfly, spruce beetle, and various looper species
Breeding/Reproduction System Monoecious
Propagation By seeds
Seedling Development Seedlings prone to dying from frost, flooding, snowpress, browsing and competition
Wildlife Value Nesting and shelter for many animals and birds, seeds used as food by crossbills, grosbeaks, and nuthatches, foliage eaten by deer, rabbits, and grouse; black bears and porcupines enjoy the bark
Cultivars
  • Conica or Dwarf Alberta Spruce
  • Coerulea
  • Echiniformis
  • Jean’s Dilly
  • Pendula or weeping white spruce
  • Pixie
  • Rainbow’s End
  • North Star Compact White
Uses Wood used in construction and paper-making, timber is exported to Japan; used as a Christmas tree, cultivars used in Bonsai
IUCN Conservation Status Least Concern

Black Hills Spruce

Dwarf White Spruce

Comparison with Other Spruce Trees

White Spruce vs. Blue Spruce

While the blue spruce is the most preferred spruce for a Christmas tree, the white spruce is only chosen as a last resort.

White Spruce Needles

White Spruce Cones

Black Spruce vs. White Spruce

The wood of the white spruce is valued as timber but the black spruce tree’s wood is not usable as such.

White Spruce Bonsai

White Spruce Bark

Interesting Facts

  • Crushed white spruce needles give off a pungent smell, thus justifying the names cat spruce and skunk spruce.
  • White spruce naturally hybridizes with the Engelmann spruce, Sitka spruce and black spruce.
  • It is the state tree of South Dakota and provincial tree of Manitoba.

Weeping White Spruce

Picea Glauca

References:

  1. https://plantdatabase.uconn.edu/detail.php?pid=310
  2. https://www.conifers.org/pi/Picea_glauca.php
  3. http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/DENDROLOGY/SYLLABUS/factsheet.cfm?ID=103
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picea_glauca
  5. https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/whitespruce.htm
  6. https://www.arborday.org/Trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=927

Published on February 3rd 2017 by Sudipto Chakrabarti under Spruce.
Article was last reviewed on 5th December 2022.

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