Spruce hybrid

Picea cross

The Spruce is a large tree with a narrow crown. It can grow to 40 metres tall and 1 metre in diameter when mature. They grow in a wide range of environments, frequently with lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, aspen, birch, and willow. White spruce and its hybrids are found through-out the Interior from valley floor to mid elevations. In the central Interior, white spruce interbreeds with Engelmann spruce and is referred to as interior spruce. The pure species is generally found only north of Dawson Creek. Needles are four-sided, sharp, and stiff, and are arranged spirally on the twigs; whitish-green and foul smelling when young, they become pleasant smelling with age. Seed cones are light brown to purplish and hang from the upper branches. The seed scales have a smooth, rounded outer edge. Pollen cones are pale red. The bark is loose, scaly, and greyish-brown.