Scientific Name:
Picea sitchensis
Pronunciation:
PYE-see-uh sih-CHEN-siss
Common Name:
Sitka spruce
Family Name:
Pinaceae
Plant Type:
Conifer
Key ID Features:
Needles flattened to broadly triangular in cross section with lower surface rounded or slightly angular (not as 4-sided as most other spruce species), sharply pointed, most bluish-green, 2 thin white bands underneath, whorled singly around shoots, (1.2)1.5-2.5(3)cm long; seed cones cylindrical, green or reddish, ripening pale buff to light orange-brown, pendant from ends of twigs, opening at maturity and falling soon after, 5-9(-10)cm long. Conifers.org
Habit:
Dense, Upright
Form:
Pyramidal - widely
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
> 30m
Mature Spread:
10 - 15m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
B.C. west of Cascades, U.S. - northwest
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 7: (-18 to -12 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Forestry, Specimen plant, Tall background, Wind break
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars on campus include P. 'Renken' (glaucous dwarf).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Needle-like
Arrangement:
Spiraled
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Prickly
Surfaces:
Lustrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Yellow-green above, whitish beneath.
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Acicular
Apices:
Acuminate
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Broad, 2.5cm long. stiff, straight, very sharp point; 4-sides, but flattened.
Inflorescence Type:
n/a (male cone)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Colour (petals):
Male cone, No flowers, Yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Fruit Type:
Cone (winged seeds)
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy,
Bark Morphology:
Plated
Bark or Stem Colour:
Brown
Additional Info:
Dark purplish-brown with scaly plates
Organ Modifications:
Ectomycorrhizae
Propagation:
Seed, Grafting
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Galls, Heart rot, Mistletoe, Rust, Scale insects
Specific Pests:
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
Location(s):
- (AGB) Acer Griseum Bed : dwarf cv. Renken
- (WDH) Wark-Dumais House : 209, 210, 214, 216