﻿Trees of Xeic York State 91 



PINACEAE 



Piceu fanndeii.sis (Mill.) B. S. and P. [Picea alba (Ait.) Link, Pii^'oa fflauca 



Vuss.] 



White Spruce, Cat Spruce 



Habit — A tree in the east attaining a height of 60-70 feet at maturity, with 

 a tru2ik diameter of 1-2 feet, in tlie western part of its range sometimes 

 bet'oming 150 feet in lieight. Crown irregularly and openly pyramidal, 

 obtuse at the apex, consisting of long, rather stout, upt-urving branches 

 which are densely clothed with pendant laterals. 



Leaves — Borne on sterigmata in dense spirals, those on the under side 

 curving upward and causing the foliage to appear crowded on tlie upper 

 side of the twigs, awl-shaped, -i-sided, acute to acuminate at the apex, 

 glaucous green when young, becoming dark bluish-green, %— % of au 

 inch long, falling gradually after 7-10 years. 



Flowers — Ap[)eariug in !May and early June, monoecious, borne in cones. 

 Staminate cones terminal or subterminal, borne on stalks nearly VL' of 

 an inch long, ^2-% of an inch long, reddish yellow at maturity. Ovulate 

 cones terminal or subterminal, borne on different branches, oblong-cylin- 

 drical, V2-% of an inch long, reddish or yellowish green at pollinaticu. 



Fruit — -An oblong-cylindric, nearly sessile, • green cone, %-2% inches in 

 length, attaining full size by the middle of the summer, at nuiturity turn- 

 ing i^ale bro\TO and shining, falling during the autumn soon after the 

 seeds are set free. Cone-scales rounded, pale broAni, Avith nearly entire 

 margin. Seeds brown, winged, about Vs of an inch long. 



Winter characters — Branchlets stout, orange-brown during the first autumn 

 and A\-lnter, at length dark grayish brown. Buds Vn-Vt of an inch iu 

 length, broadly ovate, blunt, with light chestnut, ciliate scales, rounded 

 at the apex. Mature bark gray, tinged with ])r()\vn, tiiin, se[>a rating into 

 thin, plate-like scales. 



Habitat — Typically found on low, moist, alluvial soils along tlie banks of 

 streams, shores of lakes and ponds, and the borders of swamps. In the 

 northeast occurring along the sea-cliffs where It is continually bathed 

 with salt spray. Extending in the far north, in company with Tamarack 

 and Black Spruce, to the limit of tree growth beyond the Arctic Circle. 



Range — Labrador and Newfoundland to Alaska, south through Canada into 

 New England, northern New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, the 

 Dakotas and northern Montana. A transcontinental species. Zones C, D, 

 and E. 



Uses — An important timber tree Avithin its optimum range. Wood light, 

 soft, fine-grained, weak, light yellow with scarcely distinguishable sap- 

 wood. Usually not separated in the trade from that of Eed Spruce and 

 used for similar purposes. The principal source of wood pulp at the 

 present time. 



