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White Spruce, Picea glauca (Moench) Voss
Pinaceae

The White Spruce is an evergreen coniferous tree.

Height: May reach 25 m, but usually less than 15 m. Straight, tapering trunk; uniform, conical crown. Often gnarled and irregular in shape in exposed habitats such as coastal areas.

Twigs: Light reddish-brown, hairless, shiny, covered with peg-like leaf bases when devoid of leaves. Older branches are grayish-brown.

Buds: Hairless, slightly rounded. Pointed outer bud scales do not project beyond the tip of the bud.

Bark: Grayish-brown, scaly.

Leaves: Needle-shaped, stiff, sharp pointed, shiny, four-sided in cross section, yellow-green to blue-green, often covered with a whitish bloom, 0.5-2 cm long. Spirally arranged in the twig but twisted upwards to crowd the upper side.

Flowers: Small, sexes separate on same tree. Male flowers oval, 1 cm long, rosy red at first, then purplish when shedding yellow pollen. Female flowers about 1.6 cm long at flowering time, erect and oval shaped, consist of many reddish-purple scales. Blooms in June.

Fruit: Pendant, oblong cylindrical cones, 3-5 cm long, green tinged with red at first, pale brown when mature. Scales smooth-margined, somewhat rounded. Small bracts. Winged seeds drop during first autumn but cones reamin for another year.

Habitat: Throughout Newfoundland, north to 60 degrees latitude in Labrador. Prefers moist, well-drained soils, but occurs on a variety of sites such as abandoned fields and coastal headlands.

Source: Native Trees and Shrubs of Newfoundland and Labrador
By A. Glen Ryan
Parks and Natural Areas Division
Department of Environment and Conservation
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador 1995
Used with permission.