Picea mariana
Black spruce · also Bog spruce, Shortleaf black spruce, Swamp spruce
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Picea mariana, also known as black spruce, is an extremely hardy evergreen conifer native to Canada and the northern United States. It typically grows in wet, acidic, and often waterlogged soils, reaching 20–60 ft in height with a narrow, conical form. This species is a key component of boreal forest ecosystems and is tolerant of cold, poor soils, and has moderate water needs.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 1320.04%—8.3 in
- 1210.03%4.4 yr2.4 in
- 830.01%—10 in
- 730.09%—6.7 in
- 580.50%—12 in
- 420.06%—9.3 in
- 320.04%9.8 yr2.0 in
- 310.01%—2.4 in
- 310.02%1.0 yr3.7 in
- 160.00%—7.7 in
- 120.01%—18 in
- 70.00%4.9 yr4.7 in
- 60.01%23 yr14 in
- 20.01%—22 in
- 10.00%—11 in
Traits
- Form
- Conifer
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Mature height
- 20–60 ft
- Canopy spread
- 6–20 ft
- Soil
- Wet, Acidic
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Wildlife value
- Moderate
- Blooms
- May
Trunk diameters across every city: median 6.7 in, mean 7.7 in, 90th percentile 16 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Native range
Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.
Boreal Forests/Taiga
- Alaska Peninsula montane taiga
- Central Canadian Shield forests
- Eastern Canadian forests
- Eastern Canadian Shield taiga
- Interior Alaska-Yukon lowland taiga
- Mid-Canada Boreal Plains forests
- Northern Canadian Shield taiga
- Northern Cordillera forests
- Northwest Territories taiga
Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests
- Eastern Canadian Forest-Boreal transition
- Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests
- New England-Acadian forests
- Western Great Lakes forests
Temperate Conifer Forests
- Alberta-British Columbia foothills forests
- British Columbia coastal conifer forests
- Central British Columbia Mountain forests
Other Picea in the catalogue
20 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
