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RED SPRUCE. 

 Picea rubra, (Dn Roi) Dietrich. 



FORM — A nipdiuin -sized trof usnnlly roaehing n height of 70 sO ft. with a diameter of H-2 

 ft., but uiaj' attain a height of 110 ft. with a diameter of 3 ft. Trunk straight, continuous, 

 slightly tapering, bearing long persisting lateral hranches which are horizontal in the middle, 

 ascending above and drooping below. Crown narrow, conical in form. 



BAiRK — Up to A of ail inch in tlilckness and roughened by Irregulnr. tliin, close, reddish- 

 brown scales. 



TWIGS — Rough, slender, light brown to dark brown, covered with pale to black hairs. 



BUDS — Ovoid, sharp-pointed, J J of an inch long, covered by overlapping sharp-pointed 

 reddish-brown scales. 



LEAVES — About ?-i of an inch long, 1/16 of an inch wide. 4-8idod, .vellowish-greon, rounded 

 at apex, crowded, and pointing outward in all directions on twig, without real leaf- stalks 

 but raised on dccurrent projections of bark, known as sterigmata. 



LEAF-SCARS — Small, with a single bundle-scar, borne on decurreut projections of bark. 



FLOWERS — Appear in April or May. Staminate and pistillate flowers separate, but appear 

 on the same tree. Staminate oval, almost sessile, reddish in color. Pistillate cylindrical, 3 of 

 an inch long, and consist of rounded thin scales. 



FRUIT — A cone about li-2 inches long, elongated ovoid, short-stalked, maturing at the end 

 of first season; cone-scales rounded, reddish-brown, with entire margin. 



WOOD — Xon-porous; light, soft, not strong, pale in color, tinged with red. with resin pas- 

 sages present. Weighs 28.13 lbs. per cubic foot. Used in the manufacture of paper pulp, 

 sounding boards for musical instruments," and construction. 



DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS— The Red Spruce, sometimes known as the Spruce 

 Pine, c&n be distinguished from the Black Spruce by its larger cones, which usually fall 

 during the fir.^t winter, while those of the latter usually persist for a longer time. The cone- 

 scales of the Red Spruce are a clear brown and entire-margined, while those of the Black 

 Spruce are grayish-brown and more jagged. The needles of the Red Spruce are dark green to 

 yellowish-green, while those of the Ulack Spruce are bluish -green. It can readily be dis- 

 tinguished from the ^Vhite Spruce and the Colorado Blue Spruce by its hairy twigs, and from 

 the Norway Spruce by its much smaller cones and absence of long pendulous branchlets. 



RANGE — Newfoundland to Pennsylvania and south along the AUeghanies to Georgia, west to 

 Minnesota. Heavy stands occur upon the high mountains of western North Carolina. 



DISTRIBUTION IN PENNSYLVANIA— Fr<-(iuents the swamps of Monroe. Pike and a few 

 other counties. 



HABITAT — Common upon mountain slopes and well drained ujiland, but also found on moun- 

 tain toi>s and on the margin of swamps and streams. 



IMPORTANCE OF THE SPECIES— The Red Spruce is one of the most important species which 

 supply the wood used in the manufacture of paper pulp. Where natural regeneration is pos- 

 sible this species deser\ es to be developed, especially in places too wet for other species to 

 grow. In this State, the Bear Meadows in Centre county and the lake regions of Pike and, 

 Monroe counties, with their adjoining swamps, give excellent conditions for the natural develop- 

 ment of this species. 



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