Picea mariana (Mill.) B. S. P. - Black Spruce


 

|  back  | forward |

Picea mariana - (image 1 of 7)

 

Taxonomy

Family: Pinaceae

Habitat

Northern bogs, wetlands. Occasional on upland sites.

Associates

Often with Larix laricina or in mixed stands with with Abies balsamea, Betula papyrifera, Pinus banksiana, Pinus contorta, Picea glauca, Populus tremuloides.

Distribution

The northern half of MN, WI, MI, NY, through the New England states and the northern portion of western Canada and most of eastern Canada.

Morphology

Evergreen conifer to 70', more often 40' high and wide. Larger trees with drooping branches that turn upward at the ends; often a dwarfed on poorly-drained sites. Leaves straight, 8-15 MM long, blunt-tipped, dull gray-green, often glaucous, densely set along the twig; side needles at right angles, upper needles pointing forward. Cones ovoid, to 3cm long, purplish-brown, often massed on top of tree, persisting for many years. Root system shallow.

Notes

Flowers NA

Wetland indicator: Facultative Wetland

Red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) remove the tips of cone-bearing branches, which creates a dense upper crown with a section of bare trunk directly below it. Primary host of the parasitic plant Eastern Dwarf Mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum). 

 

References

Dirr, Michael A. 1998. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants:
Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses.
5th ed. Champaign, Illinois: Stipes Publishing L.L.C.

 

Farrar, J. L. 1995. Trees of the Northern United States and Canada.
Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press.

 

Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.

 


Home

 

 Michael Hough © 2005