Picea pungens
Blue spruce · also Colorado spruce, Colorado blue spruce, Silver spruce
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Picea pungens, commonly known as Colorado blue spruce, is an evergreen conifer noted for its distinctive silvery-blue to green needles and narrow, pyramidal form. Native to the Rocky Mountains, it thrives in moist, well-drained soils and full sun, making it a popular ornamental tree. Though adaptable, its widespread use has led to it being overrepresented in some landscapes.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 82,68915.7%—8.3 in
- 42,6808.9%—9.4 in
- 24,0873.5%—12 in
- 16,7576.2%—7.9 in
- 13,9194.3%—8.7 in
- 9,2383.0%—10 in
- 9,0562.7%—9.4 in
- 8,1062.6%—15 in
- 4,2019.4%16 yr7.9 in
- 3,7502.4%10 yr7.1 in
- 2,5563.1%—12 in
- 2,2092.9%—11 in
- 9762.1%—12 in
- 5971.3%—5.5 in
- 5000.67%—4.7 in
- 3770.09%32 yr9.5 in
- 2670.04%—5.0 in
- 1940.11%—10 in
- 1381.2%—7.9 in
- 1130.15%—9.8 in
- 920.08%—12 in
- 680.01%35 yr1.5 in
- 530.34%19 yr9.1 in
- 480.02%—5.9 in
- 450.00%—1.6 in
- 350.29%—9.0 in
- 280.08%—13 in
- 140.01%37 yr5.9 in
- 100.00%—5.5 in
- 60.01%37 yr—
- 40.02%—5.9 in
Traits
- Form
- Conifer
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Mature height
- 30–70 ft
- Canopy spread
- 10–20 ft
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil
- Moist, Well-drained
- Water needs
- High
- Wildlife value
- High
- Blooms
- Mar, Apr, May
Trunk diameters across every city: median 9.1 in, mean 9.6 in, 90th percentile 17 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.
Temperate Conifer Forests
- Arizona Mountains forests
- Colorado Rockies forests
- Northern Rockies conifer forests
- South Central Rockies forests
Other Picea in the catalogue
20 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
