6o 



The Spruces 



so, light red. The cones, which are abundantly produced, are elliptical, ^ to 7 cm. 

 long, light green with a reddish tinge when young, light brown and shining when 

 ripe, falHng off soon after the seeds have dropped out; their scales are subrhomboid, 

 thin and firm, somewhat concave, usually broadest near the middle and irregularly 

 toothed at the apex; the bracts are truncate or pointed, 4 to 6 mm. long. Seed 

 blunt and thickened at the base, about 3 mm. long, its wing wedge-shaped, twice 

 as long as the seed, obhque and light brown. 



The wood is soft, rather weak, close-grained, pale yellowish brown; its specific 

 gravity is about 0.34. It takes a fine polish and is used in general carpentry, for 

 fuel, and charcoal. The bark is rich in tannin and is used to some extent in tan- 

 ning leather. 



As an ornamental, this tree is very desirable and stands the cHmate of the 

 northeastern States very well, but is a very slow grower. 



It is also called White spruce, Mountain spruce, Arizona spruce. Balsam, and 

 White pine. 



6. BLUE SPRUCE Picea pungens Engelmann 

 Picea Parryana (Andre) Sargent. Abies Menziesii Parryana Andre 



Also called Colorado blue spruce. Parry's spruce, Prickly spruce. White spruce. 

 Silver spruce, and locally Spruce or Balsam, this occurs in New Mexico, Colorado, 



eastern Utah and Wyoming, 

 at elevations of from 1800 to 

 3000 meters; it attains a 

 maximum height of 45 me- 

 ters with a trunk diameter of 

 9 dm. 



The branches are stout, 

 stiff, horizontal, rather far 

 apart and in whorls, gradu- 

 ally shorter toward the top, 

 forming a loose, symmetri- 

 cal cone-shaped tree. The 

 branchlets are stiff, some- 

 what erect with age, the trees 

 often becoming irregular in 

 outline by the elongation of 

 some of the upper branches 

 and the dying off of the lower ones. The trunk also is frequently forked into two 

 or more secondary stems. The bark is 2 to 4 cm. thick, deeply fissured into 

 broad, rounded ridges composed of close scales of a gray or brown- red color; the 

 younger bark is Hghter in color Tnd not fissured. The stout, stiff twigs are smooth, 

 green, and covered with a slighi 'loom, becoming orange-brown and -finally gray 



Fig. 47. Blue Spruce. 



