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Picea glauca (Moench) Voss

White spruce, Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, black hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, porsild spruce

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionConiferophytaConifers—cone-bearing trees (and a few shrubs)
ClassPinopsidaGymnosperms such as cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauri, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews
OrderPinalesCone-bearing plants: cedar, cypress, fir, juniper, larch, pine, redwood, spruce, yew, and others
FamilyPinaceaePine family: cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines and spruces
GenusPiceaSpruce; means “pitch”
SpeciesglaucaGlaucous, 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:

Conifersociety.org

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

The Gymnosperm Database

Wikipedia

Picea glauca (white spruce, Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, black hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, porsild spruce)

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

Picea glauca (white spruce, Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, black hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, porsild spruce)

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

Picea glauca (white spruce, Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, black hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, porsild spruce)

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

Picea glauca (white spruce, Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, black hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, porsild spruce)

7/17/2010 · Mackworth Island, Falmouth, Maine
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

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

 

Picea glauca description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.


  

Picea glauca (white spruce, Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, black hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, porsild spruce)

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

Picea glauca (white spruce, Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, black hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, porsild spruce)

The conelike objects may be from spruce budworms. · 9/9/2010 · Pine Meadow Conservation Trust Land, Groton Harvard Road, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 3½" (14 × 9.6 cm) ID is uncertain

Picea glauca (white spruce, Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, black hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, porsild spruce)

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

Picea glauca (white spruce, Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, black hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, porsild spruce)

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

Picea glauca (white spruce, Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, black hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, porsild spruce)

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

Picea glauca (white spruce, Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, black hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, porsild spruce)

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

Range: Zones 2:

About this map...