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Blue Spruce Picea pungens

Other Common Name(s):

Other plants called Blue Spruce:

Phonetic Spelling
PY-see-uh PUN-jenz
Description

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 - West Lawn and Border Mountain Ridge Top Garden - East Lawn and Lower Drive Border
Cultivars / Varieties:
'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:
#evergreen#drought tolerant#specimen#blue needles#native tree#winter interest#tsc#rabbit resistant#air pollution tolerant#cpp#needled evergreen#deer resistant#fantz#evergreen tree#Christmas trees#tsc-cg
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
'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:
#evergreen#drought tolerant#specimen#blue needles#native tree#winter interest#tsc#rabbit resistant#air pollution tolerant#cpp#needled evergreen#deer resistant#fantz#evergreen tree#Christmas trees#tsc-cg
  • 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.
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Size:
    3-6 inches
  • 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.
  • Bark:
    Bark Color:
    Dark Brown
    Dark Gray
    Bark Description:
    Bark is purplish-gray, deeply grooved, and forms thick scales.
  • 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.
  • 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