Black spruce

Picea mariana is a slow-growing, small upright evergreen coniferous tree (rarely a shrub, having a straight trunk with little taper, a scruffy habit, and a narrow, pointed crown of short, compact, drooping branches with upturned tips. Through much of its range it averages 5–15 m tall with a trunk 15-50 cm diameter at maturity, though occasional specimens can reach 30 m tall and 60 cm diameter. The bark is thin, scaly, and grayish brown. The leaves are needle-like, 6-15 mm long, stiff, four-sided, dark bluish green on the upper sides, paler glaucous green below. The cones are the smallest of all of the spruces, 1.5-4 cm long and 1–2 cm broad, spindle-shaped to nearly round, dark purple ripening red-brown, produced in dense clusters in the upper crown, opening at maturity but persisting for several years.

Picea mariana (Black Spruce) is a species of spruce native to northern North America, from Newfoundland west to Alaska, and south to northern New York, Minnesota and central British Columbia. This area is also known as the taiga forest. Black Spruce at Lake Clark, Alaska. More

Gymnosperms - Picea mariana - Fotopedia esagor on Flickr Black spruce and tamarack in Big Bog State Rec. More