South Dakota State Tree

South Dakota State Tree

White Spruce 

Pinaceae Picea glaucaSouth Dakota white spuce

Leaf
Evergreen, stiff, 1/3 to 3/4 inch long, green to blue-green in color, square in cross-section. When crushed a pungent odor is apparent. Needle tips are pointed, but not sharp.

Flower

Monoecious; males reddish but turning yellow; females purple.

Fruit

Cones are 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long, cigar-shaped, and light brown in color.
Scales are rounded with entire margins. Maturing in August.

Twig

Slender, light brown or pale, sometimes glaucous, hairless. Needles borne on woody pegs.

Bark

Thin, gray-brown in color, smooth, later flaky or scaly.

Form

Conical, medium-sized trees.

Copyright 2019 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental
Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen,
Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag
Handbook 654; range map source information