Colorado Blue Spruce

(Picea pungens)

Family: Pinaceae

Phylum: Coniferophyta

CSU TREE MAP ITEM #41

Distribution

It is native to the Rocky Mountains of the United States. Its natural range extends from northern New Mexico through Colorado and Utah to Wyoming and into far southwest Montana, but it has been widely introduced elsewhere and is used as an ornamental tree in many places far beyond its native range.

By Elbert L. Little, Jr., USGS [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Needles

This image or recording is the work of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

By Jeffrey J. Witcosky, USDA Forest Service - Image Number 1442253 at Forestry Images, CC BY 3.0 us, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6983803

Cones

This image or recording is the work of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

Questions

Using the bark descriptors given in the handout, describe the type of bark this tree has.

Describe the needles in terms of length, number per bundle and whether there are any patterns/shapes/stripes on the needles.