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Please ID these spruce

15 years ago

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I transplanted these from our cabin yard in Grand Marais, MN. It's on the north shore of Superior, just south of Canada. I see that the native ranges of black and white spruce are very similar and the descriptions of the two species are also very similar. Do these babies look like Picea glauca or Picea Mariana? (I realize one is a Balsam Fir)

When I'm up at the cabin, how do I tell the difference between the two?

(these were also pictured in the first post I did on Gardenweb: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/conif/msg0318125324052.html)

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Comment (1)

pineresin
15 years ago
White Spruce Picea glauca.

Useful pointers:
White Spruce needles are longer; Black Spruce Picea mariana needles are shorter
White Spruce needles are Â± the same colour on all sides; Black Spruce needles are conspicuously more glaucous below than above.
White Spruce shoots are (in your area) hairless and pale brown to whitish; Black Spruce shoots are hairy, and dark orange-brown on mature shoots.
White Spruce cones are slender, with soft scales; Black Spruce cones are broad, with stiff scales.

Resin
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Clement, very good point. I'll take pics in a few months if I can remember! Beng and twrosz - I forgot about the slight skunky smell. I actually compared it to my larger P. glauca on the property - it's pretty darn similar in appearance and smell. I also checked with Musser Forests, and the only other spruce they've sold in the past few years that would match my mystery tree's ID is P. glauca - I think we have winner! Well, that tree is planted way too close to my driveway for a P. glauca. Even if it was P. omorika I knew I was pushing it - it's ~4' off the driveway.
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