80 



RED SPRUCE. 

 Picea rubra, (Du Roi) Dietrich. 



FORM — A medium-sized tree usually reaching a height of 70-80 ft. with a diameter of 11-2 

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

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

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



BAiRK — Up to i of an inch in thickness and roughened by irregular, thin, close, reddish- 

 brown scales. 



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



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

 reddish-brown scales. 



LEAVES — About *-f of an inch long, 1/16 of an inch wide, 4-sided, yellowish-green, rounded 

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

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



LEAF-SCARS — Small, with a single bundle-scar, borne on decurrent 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, | of 

 an inch long, and consist of rounded thin scales. 



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

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



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

 sages present. Weighs 28.13 ]bs. 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 Sprue 

 Pine, can be distinguished from the Black Spruce by its larger cones, which usually fal 

 during the firi^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 Blaci 

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

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

 tinguished from the "White Spruce and the Colorado Blue Spruce by its hairy twigs, and froB 

 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 

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



DISTRIBUTION IN PENNSYLVANIA— Frequents the swamps of Monroe, Pike and a tex 

 other counties. 



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

 tain tops and on the margin of swamps and streams. 



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

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

 sible this species deserves to be developed, especially in places too wet for other species t 

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

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

 ment of this species. 



