Black Hills Spruce - North Dakota State University

1 Black Hills Spruce slide 85a 400%. slide 85b 360%. slide 85c slide 85d 380% 360%. III-175. Black Hills Spruce Environmental Requirements (Picea glauca Soils Soil Texture - Grows best on moist loams. var. densata) Soil pH - to Windbreak Suitability Group - 1, 3, 4, 5. General Description Cold Hardiness A large tree , very dense and pyramidal when young. USDA Zone 2. Not as drought tolerant as Colorado Spruce . Black Hills Spruce is a naturally occurring variety of white Spruce Water native to South Dakota . Better adapted than White Spruce Fairly drought resistant.

2 Needs additional moisture during (Picea glauca) which is native in the eastern United states , droughts. as far west as Minnesota. The largest Spruce tree in North Dakota is 95 feet tall with a canopy spread of 42 feet. Light Full sun. Leaves and Buds Bud Arrangement - Whorls. Uses Bud Color - Chestnut brown scales, blunt tips, not resinous. Conservation/Windbreaks Bud Size - Buds are about 1/4 inch long. Medium to tall evergreen for farmstead and field windbreaks. Leaf Type and Shape - Needles attached individually on peglike projections called sterigmata.

3 Wildlife Leaf Margins - Quadrangular in cross-section. Browsed by mammals. Nesting site for birds. Makes Leaf Surface - Slightly glaucous, 2 to 3 stomatal lines a good winter cover. above, 3 to 4 on lower surface. Leaf Length - 1/3 to 3/4 inch. Agroforestry Products Wood - Used for dimension lumber, pulpwood and Leaf Width - 1/16 inch needles. Christmas trees. Leaf Color - Variably green and glaucous. urban /Recreational Flowers and Fruits Good yard or ornamental tree . Used singly or in group Flower Type - Moneocious, separate male and female plantings in recreation areas and public grounds.

4 Strobili. Flower Color - Female strobili are greenish to purplish; Cultivated Varieties male are tan to pale red. Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca Conica') - Dwarf, Fruit Type - Cone length 1 to 2 inches long. Cone scales compact form, very subject to winterburn and spider have a rounded, smooth margin; small winged seed. mites. Fruit Color - Brown cones, tannish seeds. Related Species Form Norway Spruce (P. abies). Growth Habit - Long stout branches from ground up form Colorado Spruce (P. pungens). a broad pyramidal to conical crown, compact ascending branches, denser growth form than species.

5 Pests Texture - Medium, summer and winter. Common diseases include Lirula needle blight. Crown Height - 30 to 60 feet. White Spruce is less affected than Colorado Spruce Crown Width - 15 to 25 feet. by Rhizosphaera needle cast and Cytospora canker. Bark Color - Ash brown, scaly or flaky bark. Common insect pests include spider mite, Spruce needle miner, pine needle scale, yellow-headed Root System - Shallow, fibrous, and wide spreading. Spruce sawfly, and aphids. III-176.