Colorado Blue Spruce
'Picea Pungens Glauca'
A broad, dense, pyramidal tree with stiff branches horizontal to
the ground.
Native to intermountain states of the west. Choice
specimen tree. T
The largest tree in North Dakota is 85 feet tall with a canopy spread of 30 feet.
Information
Height & Growth
Growth Habit – Branching is broad and dense, with branches
extending to the ground.
Texture – Medium, summer and winter.
Crown Height – 30 to 65 feet.
Crown Width – 15 to 25 feet.
Bark Color – Bark is scaly or flaky and ash-brown.
Root System – Shallow and wide spreading.
Soils
Soil Texture – Performs best on moist, well-drained loams.
Soil pH – 6.0 to 7.5.
Windbreak Suitability Group – 1, 3, 4 and 5.
Cold Hardiness
USDA Zone 2.
Water & Light
Water
Does not tolerate flooding. Prefers moist areas, but is the most
drought tolerant of the spruces.
Light
Full sun. Does not tolerate shade.
Leaves & Buds
Bud Arrangement – Buds are in whorls.
Bud Color – Yellowish-brown, not resinous.
Bud Size – Broadly conical, tips are blunt, about ¼ inch long.
Leaf Type and Shape – Sharply pointed needles are attached
individually on peglike projections called sterigmata.
Leaf Margins – Needles are 4-sided.
Leaf Surface – Variably glaucous, 4 to 5 stomatal lines on both
sides.
Leaf Length – Needles 3/4 to 1¼ inches.
Leaf Width – 1/16 inch needles.
Leaf Color – Variable from dull green, blue-green, to silvery-blue,
glaucous.
Flowers & Fruits
Flower Type – Monoecious, separate male and female strobili.
Flower Color – Female strobili are green to purple; male are
orange.
Fruit Type – Cones 2½ to 4 inches long, with papery cone scales
that have a truncated edge; small, winged seeds, chestnut brown.
Fruit Color – Light yellow-brown or tannish cones, chestnutbrown seeds.
Best Uses
Conservation/Windbreaks
Medium to tall evergreen for farmstead and field windbreaks.
Wildlife
Nesting sites for birds.
Agroforestry Products
Wood – Used for firewood but burns fast. Good for kindling. Used
for Christmas trees.
Urban/Recreational
Popular specimen or ornamental landscape tree. Used singly or in
group plantings.
Pests & Disease
Common diseases include Rhizosphaera needle cast, Cytospora
canker, and Lirula needle blight.
Common insect pests include
spider mites, spruce needle miner, pine needle scale, yellowheaded spruce sawfly, and aphid.