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Picea breweriana

Picea breweriana S. Watson

Brewer Spruce, Weeping Spruce

Pinaceae (Pine Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: PIBR

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Large tree crowned with long, slender, horizontal branches ending in ropelike, drooping branches; trunk enlarged and buttressed at the base and tapering above. The most striking characteristic of this spruce is its drooping, almost perpendicular, secondary branches from the slender crown to the base of the trunk. Average height for trees in the wild is 50-75 ft, but can be much taller.

The weeping habit serves to reduce breakage of branches by heavy snowfall. Rare even as a cultivated ornamental, this local species is found in five National Forests and a special preserve, the Brewer Spruce Natural Area. It is named for its discoverer, William Henry Brewer (1828-1910), a professor of agriculture at Yale University and co-author of "Botany of California."