Family: Pinaceae
white spruce
Kitty Kohout
Kenneth J. Sytsma
University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)
Etymology: Picea: Classical Latin name for "pine"
Plants: perennial, 50'-60' tall, evergreen tree; stems hairless, branchlets not drooping
Leaves: 3/8-3/4" blue-green needles
Fruits: 1-2" long cones, dropping when ripe
Habitat: dry to dry-medium; uplands
Plants: perennial, 50'-60' tall, evergreen tree; stems hairless, branchlets not drooping
Leaves: 3/8-3/4" blue-green needles
Fruits: 1-2" long cones, dropping when ripe
Habitat: dry to dry-medium; uplands
Found in mesic to swampy forests of balsam fir-birch, aspen-bur oak-balsam fir, northern hardwoods, white cedar-balsam fir-white pine, aspen-rock elm-red pine, white pine-hemlock-white cedar, pine-red maple, maple-basswood-ash, maple-beech-hemlock, pine-red maple-balsam fir-aspen; often along streams, on slopes, or in ravines. Also growing on forested dunes, bluffs, the shore of Lake Superior, slopes above rivers, dolomite scarps, moist cliffs, alder thickets, lowland thickets, fields, and rarely in bogs. This species is sometimes cultivated, and escaped populations south of its native range have been found on rock outcrops, Lake Michigan bluffs, and around plantations.
White spruce is an important component of boreal forests and northern mesic forests in the state and is native only to our northernmost counties.
White spruce is an important component of boreal forests and northern mesic forests in the state and is native only to our northernmost counties.
Floristic Rating: Coefficient of Conservatism = 7, Wetland Indicator = FACU USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos University of Wisconsin - Green Bay: Gymnosperms: Photos, descriptions, information USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS): Images of seeds, fruits, embryos, etc. Virginia Tech Dept. of Forestry, College of Natural Resources: detailed description and photographs Southwest School of Botanical Medicine: Britton & Brown Illustrated Flora - 2nd Edition (1913) "An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada" Landscape Plants of the Upper Midwest; UW-Extension: Interactive guide providing information on cultivation including: soil, zone, growth rate, landscape uses, pruning, light requirements; with photos and Latin name pronounciation
Kenneth J. Sytsma
Paul Drobot
Matthew L. Wagner
Kenneth J. Sytsma
Paul Drobot
Botancial Illustration
Know Your Trees
