Evergreen, stiff, 3/4 to 1 1/4 inch long, yellow-green to bluish or white. Needles are very sharp, and have an acidic taste.
Flower
Monoecious; males yellow-brown to purple, scattered throughout trees; females purple, upright, in tops of the trees.
Fruit
Cones are 2 to 4 inches long, cylindrical, light brown in color. Cone scales are pointed with jagged-erose margins. Maturing in autumn.
Twig
Stout (when compared to other spruces), hairless, orange-brown. Needlesare borne on woody pegs. Bud scales are noticeably reflexed.
Bark
Gray to red-brown, young trees with small, thin scales – older trees developing furrows.
Form
A medium to large tree with pyramidal form. Branches appear layered, especially with age.
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
