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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Picea sitchensis

Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière

Sitka Spruce

Pinaceae (Pine Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: pisi

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N), CAN (N)

The world’s largest spruce, with tall, straight trunk, from buttressed base, and broad, open, conical crown of horizontal branches. Sitka spruce is usually a 50-100 ft. tree with wide spreading, rigidly branched and drooping branchlets. It can be much taller. Bark is scaly and dark red-brown. Needles are green on the lower surface, white above.

The main timber tree in Alaska, Sitka Spruce produces high-grade lumber for many uses and wood pulp for newsprint. Special products are piano sounding boards, boats, and food containers. It was formerly used in aircraft construction.

 

From the Image Gallery

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual , Monoecious
Fruit Type: Cone
Size Notes: Up to about 250 feet tall. Often much shorter.
Leaf: Green
Fruit: Brown

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Apr , May

Distribution

USA: AK , CA , OR , WA
Canada: BC
Native Distribution: Pacific Coast region from s. AK through w. B.C. to n.w. CA
Native Habitat: Moist to swampy coastal areas

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Wet
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Soil Description: Moist to wet soils.
Conditions Comments: Susceptible, especially in the Pacific Northwest, to defoliation by red spider and to malformation by spruce gall.

Propagation

Description: Sitka spruce is propagated from seed which is slow to germinate. Cuttings root in low percentages.
Seed Treatment: No treatment is necessary, but seeds may benefit from 1-3 month stratification.
Commercially Avail: yes

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: FACU FAC FAC
This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden - Santa Barbara, CA

Web Reference

Webref 3 - Flora of North America (2014) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Picea sitchensis in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Picea sitchensis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Picea sitchensis

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-09-21
Research By: TWC Staff

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