Picea pungens
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- PY-see-uh PUN-jenz
- Description
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Medium to large, narrow, pyramidal conifer with horizontal branching to the ground. It is an evergreen gymnosperm tree that grows 30-60' and has a dense crown and is conic to columnar-conic. It is native to the central Rocky Mountains from southern Montana and eastern Idaho south to New Mexico. It does best in cooler climates, cannot tolerate heat and humidity.
It can be grown in average, well-drained soils in full sun, although it will tolerate some shade. This plant prefers rich, moist soil in full sunlight. Young plants should be kept consistently moist and not allowed to dry out. As the plant matures, it becomes more drought tolerant. This plant has a slow to medium growth rate. It is more drought-tolerant than other spruces. It is often utilized as a Christmas tree for its bluish color and stiff leaves for ornaments, but being replaced by Fraser fir due to dangerous pungent leaf tips that caused injury to toddlers. It is often planted outside afterward as a specimen plant.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This plant has no serious pest issues but can be affected by aphids, scale, budworms, and bagworms. New growth and overall health of this tree can be affected by spider mites.
Quick ID Hints:
- Gymnosperm with bluish saber-like leaves
- Leaves are stiff, rigid, and spine-tipped
VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Patio Room Mountain Ridge Top Garden - East Lawn and Lower Drive Border Mountain Ridge Top Garden - West Lawn and Border
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Baby Blue Eyes'
Semi-dwarf, blue-gray needles - 'Bakeri'
More compact cultivar with deeper blue color
'Compacta'
- 'Foxtail'
Foxtail-like appearance of new branches - 'Glauca'
- 'Glauca Globosa'
Neat, dense, compact, rounded shape - 'Glauca Pendula'
Blue needled, sprawling, spreading form - 'Hoopsii'
Dense, pyramidal form and extremely glaucous blue needles
'Mission Blue'
- 'Moerheimii'
Rich blue foliage, more open habit - 'Montgomery'
Silver-blue needled, relatively compact - 'Otto von Bismark'
- 'Roundabout'
- 'Thompsenii'
Glaucous silver-blue foliage, symmetrical pyramidal habit
Flat topped with long bright blue, sharp-tipped needles 'Fat Albert'
A perfect cone shape, closely spaced ascending branches and steel blue needle color
Rigid tiered branches and fine foliage that emerges steel blue and matures to a deeper blue
Weeping dwarf form - 'Baby Blue Eyes'
- 'Baby Blue Eyes', 'Bakeri', 'Compacta', 'Fat Albert', 'Foxtail', 'Glauca', 'Glauca Globosa', 'Glauca Pendula', 'Hoopsii', 'Mission Blue', 'Moerheimii', 'Montgomery', 'Otto von Bismark', 'Pendula', 'Roundabout', 'Thompsenii'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Baby Blue Eyes'
Semi-dwarf, blue-gray needles - 'Bakeri'
More compact cultivar with deeper blue color
'Compacta'
- 'Foxtail'
Foxtail-like appearance of new branches - 'Glauca'
- 'Glauca Globosa'
Neat, dense, compact, rounded shape - 'Glauca Pendula'
Blue needled, sprawling, spreading form - 'Hoopsii'
Dense, pyramidal form and extremely glaucous blue needles
'Mission Blue'
- 'Moerheimii'
Rich blue foliage, more open habit - 'Montgomery'
Silver-blue needled, relatively compact - 'Otto von Bismark'
- 'Roundabout'
- 'Thompsenii'
Glaucous silver-blue foliage, symmetrical pyramidal habit
Flat topped with long bright blue, sharp-tipped needles 'Fat Albert'
A perfect cone shape, closely spaced ascending branches and steel blue needle color
Rigid tiered branches and fine foliage that emerges steel blue and matures to a deeper blue
Weeping dwarf form - 'Baby Blue Eyes'
- 'Baby Blue Eyes', 'Bakeri', 'Compacta', 'Fat Albert', 'Foxtail', 'Glauca', 'Glauca Globosa', 'Glauca Pendula', 'Hoopsii', 'Mission Blue', 'Moerheimii', 'Montgomery', 'Otto von Bismark', 'Pendula', 'Roundabout', 'Thompsenii'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Picea
- Species:
- pungens
- Family:
- Pinaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Root Cutting
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- USA
- Fire Risk Rating:
- high flammability
- Dimensions:
- Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Columnar
- Conical
- Pyramidal
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
- Appendage:
- Prickles
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12-24 feet
- NC Region:
- Mountains
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Orange
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Female cones are oblong-cylindrical, sessile, pendulous, 2-4" long, 1" in diameter, are green with violet bloom, ripening light brown. Scales are thick based, apex is thin, and emarginate. Margins are finely toothed and undulate. Male cones are orange.
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Flowers:
- Flower Size:
- 3-6 inches
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Prickly
- Leaf Type:
- Needles
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are alternate, saber-like, spreading more or less around stems, rigid, incurved, have apical spines, and are dull green to bluish to silvery-white in color. Leaves have stomatic lines one each lateral side. Leaves grow up to 1" in size.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Bark Description:
- Bark is purplish-gray, deeply grooved, and forms thick scales.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Stem buds are broadly conical to nearly spherical, blunt, and yellowish-brown in color. Scales are loosely appressed, apices are reflexed, and they are more or less keeled. Branches are in whorls, horizontal, and the lowermost are downswept with age.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Meadow
- Naturalized Area
- Recreational Play Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Native Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Screen/Privacy
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Pollution
- Rabbits
