Black Hills Spruce
'Picea Glauca Densata'
A large tree, very dense and pyramidal when young.
Not as drought tolerant as Colorado Spruce.
Black Hills Spruce is a naturally occurring variety of white spruce native to South Dakota. Better adapted than White Spruce (Picea glauca) which is native in the eastern United States, as far west as Minnesota
The largest spruce tree in North Dakota is 95 feet tall with a canopy spread of 42 feet.
Information
Height & Growth
Growth Habit – Long stout branches from ground up form
a broad pyramidal to conical crown, compact ascending
branches, denser growth form than species.
Texture – Medium, summer and winter.
Crown Height – 30 to 60 feet.
Crown Width – 15 to 25 feet.
Bark Color – Ash brown, scaly or flaky bark.
Root System – Shallow, fibrous, and wide spreading
Soils
Soils
Soil Texture – Grows best on moist loams.
Soil pH – 4.0 to 7.5.
Windbreak Suitability Group – 1, 3, 4, 5
Cold Hardiness
USDA Zone 2.
Water & Light
Water
Fairly drought resistant. Needs additional moisture during
droughts.
Light
Full sun.
Leaves & Buds
Bud Arrangement – Whorls.
Bud Color – Chestnut brown scales, blunt tips, not
resinous.
Bud Size – Buds are about 1/4 inch long.
Leaf Type and Shape – Needles attached individually on
peglike projections called sterigmata.
Leaf Margins – Quadrangular in cross-section.
Leaf Surface – Slightly glaucous, 2 to 3 stomatal lines
above, 3 to 4 on lower surface.
Leaf Length – 1/3 to 3/4 inch.
Leaf Width – 1/16 inch needles.
Leaf Color – Variably green and glaucous.
Flowers & Fruits
Flower Type – Moneocious, separate male and female
strobili.
Flower Color – Female strobili are greenish to purplish;
male are tan to pale red.
Fruit Type – Cone length 1½ to 2 inches long. Cone scales
have a rounded, smooth margin; small winged seed.
Fruit Color – Brown cones, tannish seeds.
Best Uses
Conservation/Windbreaks
Medium to tall evergreen for farmstead and field
windbreaks.
Wildlife
Browsed by mammals. Nesting site for birds. Makes
a good winter cover.
Agroforestry Products
Wood – Used for dimension lumber, pulpwood and
Christmas trees.
Urban/Recreational
Good yard or ornamental tree. Used singly or in group
plantings in recreation areas and public grounds
Pests & Disease
Common diseases include Lirula needle blight.
White spruce is less affected than Colorado Spruce
by Rhizosphaera needle cast and Cytospora canker.
Common insect pests include spider mite, spruce
needle miner, pine needle scale, yellow-headed
spruce sawfly, and aphids