Description
Sold in bundles of 25.
At a Glance: Coniferous evergreen tree. A branching and shallow rooted tree. Sitka spruce is most abundant on the wet, sandy soils of the coast and associated rainforests. In Puget Sound it is found only along the major rivers. It prefers moist or wet well-drained soils and transplants fine. Along with shore pine, Sitka spruce can be a good choice over western hemlock and western red cedar for transplanting into sunny sites.
Height: Up to 200ft tall
Bark: Bark very thin, gray-brown to grayish-purple, deciduous in small scales; twigs glabrous.
Leaves: Needles light green to bluish-green, stiff and sharp, spreading in all directions from the branch, 1.5-2.5 cm. long, flattened, with 2 broad white bands on the upper surface and 2 narrow bands on the lower surface, attached to a raised base.
Cones: Staminate cones pendant, red, 10-15 mm. long; ovulate cones 6-9 cm. long, reddish-brown to yellowish-brown, the scales rounded, finely denticulate, rather stiff, the bracts lanceolate, much shorter than the scales and concealed; ovulate cones deciduous as a whole after one season.
Growing Conditions:
| Sun/Shade Tolerance | Hydrology | Elevation Range |
|
full sun > 80%
mostly sunny 60%-80%
partial sun and shade 40%- 60%
|
wet
moist
|
low elevation
mid elevation
|
References:
“Burke Herbarium Image Collection” Sitka Spruce. Web. 11 Sep. 2019. http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Picea%20sitchensis
