Picea pungens
Common name: 
Colorado Spruce
Pronunciation: 
PI-see-a PUN-jenz
Family: 
Pinaceae
Genus: 
Picea
Type: 
Conifer
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Conifer, evergreen tree, 30-60(135) ft [9-18(41) m] tall, dense, narrow to broad pyramid, stiff horizontal branches to the ground, formal in outline.  Needles spreading more or less all around the stem, more crowded above, stiff, stout, very prickly, 2-3 cm long, 4-sided, stomatic lines on each side, acid taste when chewed.  Cones cylindrical, 5-10 long, light brown, scales thin, flexible.  Seeds dark brown, about 2 mm long.
  • Sun.  Prefers rich, moist soil, but very adaptable.  More drought tolerant than other spruces.
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 3      Native to the Rocky Mountains; Colorado, Wyoming to New Mexico.
  • The color of the species, Picea pungens, varies from drab green to bright silvery blue.  The silvery-blue forms, Picea pungens var. glauca, are essentially the only ones selected for the ornamentals nursery trade.  Many cultivars have been selected from this general form and are propagated by grafting.
  • pungens: sharp pointed.
  • Corvallis: Northwest corner of Franklin Park, 16th St. and Taylor Ave.
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • branchlets, needles

    branchlets, needles

  • branchlets, comparison

    branchlets, comparison

  • needles

    needles

  • bud

    bud

  • twigs, 1 and 2 years-old

    twigs, 1 and 2 years-old

  • cone and cone scales

    cone and cone scales

  • trunk, bark

    trunk, bark