How to identify White spruce (Picea glauca)

How to identify White spruce (Picea glauca)

White spruce, also known as Canadian spruce

White spruce presents as a stately evergreen conifer with a youthful broad, dense pyramidal shape, which matures into a more narrow and symmetrical silhouette featuring upward-sloping branches. The species thrives in cooler environments and requires good air circulation around its dense foliage to prevent moisture build-up. Its needles, when disturbed, emit a distinctive odor likened to that of skunk or cat urine. The fine needle structure contributes to its overall aesthetic appeal and texture.

Lifespan: Perennial

Plant Type: Tree

Leaf Type: Evergreen

Quickly Identify White spruce

4-sided needles, blue-green above and blue-white below, 0.5-1 inch (1.3-2.5 cm) long.

Distinctive odor when disturbed, resembling skunk or cat urine.

Inconspicuous male flowers are reddish, female flowers greenish, 0.4-1 inch (1-2.5 cm).

Thin, scaly trunk bark peels in circular plates, 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) in diameter.

Needles have a fine texture, firm and needle-like, contributing to the overall aesthetic appeal.

Detailed Traits of White spruce

Leaf Features

The leaves of white spruce are distinctive 4-sided needles, pale green to glaucous green in color. Measuring around 0.5 to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm) long, they exhibit a blue-green hue above with several thin lines of stomata, while their underside is blue-white, adorned with two broad bands of stomata. Their texture is somewhat firm and needle-like, characteristic of coniferous trees, providing a unique identifying feature among similar species.

Leaf Shape

Linear

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Flower Features

The flowers of white spruce are inconspicuous, often mistaken for small buds. Male flowers are reddish, clustered at branch tips, while female flowers are greenish and sit upright on branches. These flowers range from 0.4 to 1 inch (1-2.5 cm) in size. The flowers have no distinctive scent and are primarily wind-pollinated. Blooming occurs in late spring to early summer, facilitating the development of cones.

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White spruce and Their Similar Plants

Norway spruce vs. White spruce: What's The Difference?

The fastest-growing of all spruces, the norway spruce (Picea abies) makes for a good roosting spot for owls and hawks. Its wood is used for paper, construction lumber, and musical instruments, and its needles can be used to brew spruce beer. It is also a popular choice for Christmas trees.

Blue spruce vs. White spruce: What's The Difference?

The blue spruce (Picea pungens) is an evergreen conifer with a beautiful, thick crown. It gets the "blue" name because its needles have a bluish tint, unlike other pine trees whose needles are a simpler green. This unique appearance has helped to make the blue spruce one of the world's favorite ornamental conifers, and it's especially popular in Christmas tree production. Historically, these trees have also served other ornamental purposes.

Sitka spruce vs. White spruce: What's The Difference?

The sitka spruce (*Picea sitchensis*) is the fifth-tallest conifer in the world and can grow to be 70 m tall. Sitka spruce is found in cool, maritime locations in coastal areas. This species grows best in deep, moist, well-drained soil. It produces reddish to yellowish-brown seed cones. Its light, soft wood is strong and flexible, with acoustic qualities. This tree's wood is commercially used to make musical instruments such as guitars and pianos. It is also used to make early aircraft and boats.

Red spruce vs. White spruce: What's The Difference?

Red spruce (*Picea rubens*) is also known as eastern spruce or yellow spruce to English speakers. French Canadians call the species by the name of “épinette rouge.” Its common name comes from the fact that it has red-colored bark.

Black spruce vs. White spruce: What's The Difference?

Other names for black spruce (Picea mariana) include bog spruce, shortleaf black spruce, and swamp spruce. And just like you’d guess from the name, it loves soggy habitats. It also happens to be the provincial tree of Newfoundland.

Orange spruce vs. White spruce: What's The Difference?

Orange spruce (Picea asperata) is a tall conifer that is highly variable and has five subspecies. This tree has commercially useful wood that is used in the manufacture of furniture, buildings and railway sleepers. This usefulness is also a problem since the tree's numbers are declining due to overlogging in its native China.

Serbian spruce vs. White spruce: What's The Difference?

It is a medium-sized evergreen tree growing to 20 m tall, exceptionally 40 m, with a trunk diameter of up to 1 m. The shoots are buff-brown, and densely pubescent (hairy). The leaves are needle-like, 1 to 2 cm long, flattened in cross-section, dark blue-green above, and blue-white below.

Norway spruce 'Nidiformis' vs. White spruce: What's The Difference?

Norway spruce 'Nidiformis' is a slow-growing, dwarf cultivar of Norway spruce that offers light-green short needles. The branches spread horizontally in dense layers. This is cultivar is also often called the "Bird’s Nest Spruce," as it usually sports a deep depression in the middle of its flat top. Gardeners enjoy this cultivar for its deer resistance and general hardiness.

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Key Facts About White spruce

Attributes of White spruce

Lifespan

Perennial

Plant Type

Tree

Plant Height

15 m to 40 m

Spread

1.5 m to 2.5 m

Leaf Color

Green

Blue

Flower Size

4 cm to 6 cm

Flower Color

Red

Yellow

Green

Brown

Orange

Burgundy

Gold

Fruit Color

Brown

Copper

Stem Color

Green

Blue

Leaf type

Evergreen

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Scientific Classification of White spruce

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

White spruce (Picea glauca)

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Distribution Map of White spruce

White spruce is a cold-loving tree native to the riversides and uplands of the northern US and Canada. It also grows as an introduced species in Iceland, Norway, Finland and Austria.

Native

Cultivated

Invasive

Potentially invasive

Exotic

No species reported

Learn More About the White spruce

A Comprehensive Guide to White spruce How to Grow and Care for White spruce