Handbook of Trees of the Nohtjikkx States and Canada. 



27 



The Red Spruce occasionally attains tlip 

 height of 100 ft., with trunk from 2-4 ft. in 

 diameter, but usually is considerably sniaUcr. 

 When massed in the forests it develops a 

 straight columnar trunk vested in a rather 

 thin irregularly scaly reddish brown bark and 

 small horizontal branches. Isolated trees, ex- 

 tending their lower branches farther out, 

 downward and then curving gracefully upward, 

 form a wide and rather open pyramidal top. 

 It is one of the most abundant of the forest 

 trees of northern New York and New England, 

 where it is associated with the Hemlock, 

 Beech, Yellow Birch, Sugar Maple, Butternut, 

 etc. and in places forms quite exclusive tracts 

 of forest. 



The wood is light, a cu. ft. when absolutely 

 dry weighing 28.57 lbs., and moderately soft, 

 but strong and elastic and is valued for lumber 

 for general construction purposes, flooring, 

 etc. and particularly for sounding boards for 

 musical instruments. Tt is also extensively 

 used for paper-pulp and its resinous exudation 

 yields a large part of the Spruce Gum of 

 commerce.2 



Lenrcfi from ^'2-% in- l<'ns. inctirvod, with acute 

 callous tips, lustrous dark .uiccn with 4 row.s of 

 stomal a al)ov(' and 2 rows hciicath on each side 

 of midrib : hraru'hlcts stout, iiulicsccnt. Floirrrs 

 open in May : staminato oblonu-cylindi-ical : jiis- 

 tillate oblong with reflexed and thin rounded 

 scales and small bracts. ('tuns dvoid-obloiii;, 

 l'i-2 in. long on short straight or incurved stalks. 

 a<'ute at apex with rigid puberulous scales rounded 

 and entire or slightly eroded at apex, green or 

 [)urplish, mostly falling in autumn or early winter 

 and becoming brown ; seeds dark brown, about '^ 

 in. long with wing broad and rounded above the 

 middle. 



1. Syn. P. rubr 

 Poir. (in part). 



2. A. W., I, 20. 



(Poir.) Diet. Abies nisjn 



