Woody > Picea > Picea glauca > Picea glauca
Picea glauca
White Spruce
Mike's
Opinion
"
Personally I love spruce trees, the skunk like smell the needles give off is a bit repulsive but the colour and texture of the bark is appealing. It is a nice windbreak plant and serves a utilitarian purpose in the landscape.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Pinaceae |
| Genus |
| Picea |
| Species |
| glauca |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (evergreen) |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 2-6 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 1a-5b |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H7 |
| Height |
| 13 - 20 m |
| Spread |
| 2 - 7 m |
Photographs
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Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Has a somewhat conical shape with some branches pointing downwards. The branchlets are quite slender and hairless. The needles are attached by little wood pegs. |
| Cultivation |
| Plant in full sun but tolerates partial shade, withstands wind, drought, cold, and crowding. Best growth occurs in moist loam soils: transplants easily. |
| Shape |
| A dense pyramid as a youth, with age becomes tall and narrow with horizontal to ascending branches. |
| Growth |
| Fast |
| ID Characteristic |
| Small cylindrical cones with smooth margin scales, needles leave the petiole on stems when removed, short stiff pointed needles and a distinct 'skunky' odour from crushed needles. |
| Pests |
| Susceptible to root and trunk rot, spruce bagworm European sawfly and red spider mites. |
| Habitat |
| Found in Boreal, Acadian and deciduous mixed forests. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Bark is thin and flaky or scaly, the newest exposed layer is a somewhat silvery colour. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| The buds are rigid and brown through the winter months and in the spring these buds burst open to produce bright green shoots. |
| Leaf Description |
| The needles are 1 to 2cm long and are curved ending in a roundish point. They are persistent for the first several years, bunched up on the upper side of the stem. |
| Flower Description |
| Flowers are monoecious; staminate, they are pale red in colour gradually turning yellow; pistillate flowers are purple. |
| Fruit Description |
| The cones are cylindrical, 2.5 to 6cm long and 1 to 2cm wide. The mature scales are thin, broad rounded and flexible. |
| Colour Description |
| The needles are a blue-green colour, it varies form a dull blue-green to and off-green. The bark is and ash brown colour and the cones start out green eventually becoming a light brown. |
| Texture Description |
| A medium textured tree. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Woodland Perennial Gardens, Fanshawe College Botanical Gardens, London, Ontario, Canada. |
| Propagation |
| When propagated by seed no pre-treatment required. Cuttings collected in July have a 84-90% chance of successful rooting. Cuttings collected at other times need to be soaked for 24 hrs in a 70ppm IBA solution. |
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