Picea glauca (White Spruce)

Picea glauca

Picea glauca (Moench) Voss

Picea canadensis (Mill.) Britton Sterns & Poggenb.

Picea glauca (Moench) Voss var. albertiana (S. Br.) Sarg.

Picea glauca (Moench) Voss var. densata L.H. Bailey

Picea glauca (Moench) Voss var. porsildii Raup

White Spruce, Canadian Spruce, Skunk Spruce, Cat Spruce, Black Hills Spruce, Western White Spruce, Albert White Spruce, Porsild Spruce

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Coniferophyta	Conifers—cone-bearing trees (and a few shrubs)
Class	Pinopsida	Gymnosperms such as cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauri, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews
Order	Pinales	Cone-bearing plants: cedar, cypress, fir, juniper, larch, pine, redwood, spruce, yew, and others
Family	Pinaceae	Pine family: cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines and spruces
Genus	Picea	Spruce; means “pitch”
Species	glauca	Glaucous, from the Greek meaning “bluish-gray,” referring primarily to the leaves, and specifically to “bloom,” the fine, whitish powder that coats the leaves of certain plants

About plant names...

White spruce is native to northern boreal and temperate forests of North America, originating mostly in Canada and Alaska but reaching gradually south.

Plants: Trees are typically 49-98' (15-30 m) tall, sometimes reaching 131' (40 m). Trunks are as much as 3' (1 m) in diameter. The tree crown is conical in young trees, become more cylindrical as they age. Bark is light gray brown, thin and scaly, peeling in small circular plates.

Leaves: Leaves are needles ⅜-¾" (1.2-2 cm) long, with diamond-shaped cross-sections. The rigid blue-green needles have a waxy whitish coating, hence the name “white spruce.”

Fruits: Hanging cones are cylinder-shaped, 1-2½" (3-7 cm) × ½" (1.5 cm). They are comprised of thin scales ½" (1.5 cm) long, with smooth edges. They begin green or violet, gradually turning pale brown. Seeds are black, ¹/₁₆-⅛" (2-3 mm) in size, with a small pale brown wing about three times the size of the seed.

Online References:

Picea glauca on conifersociety.org

Picea glauca on Earl J.S. Rook's Flora, Fauna, Earth, and Sky ... The Natural History of the Northwoods

Picea glauca on The Gymnosperm Database

Picea glauca on Wikipedia

9/9/2010 · Pine Meadow Conservation Trust Land, Groton Harvard Road, Ayer, MA
≈ 9 × 14" (23 × 35 cm) ID is uncertain

1/1/2011 · MacDonald-Zachos'
≈ 14 × 9" (35 × 23 cm)

7/17/2010 · Mackworth Island, Falmouth, ME
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

Picea glauca description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 21 Jun 2017.

9/9/2010 · Pine Meadow Conservation Trust Land, Groton Harvard Road, Ayer, MA
≈ 21 × 31" (52 × 78 cm) ID is uncertain

The conelike objects may be from spruce budworms. · 9/9/2010 · Pine Meadow Conservation Trust Land, Groton Harvard Road, Ayer, MA
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

9/9/2010 · Pine Meadow Conservation Trust Land, Groton Harvard Road, Ayer, MA
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

1/1/2011 · MacDonald-Zachos'
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)

9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 12 × 14" (29 × 35 cm)

1/1/2011 · MacDonald-Zachos'
≈ 12 × 17" (29 × 44 cm)

Range: Zones 2:

About this map...