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Native Trees of Prince Edward IslandBlack Spruce (Picea mariana)
Black spruce grows throughtout Prince Edward Island and is confined mainly to low damp places. In sphagnum bogs it usually is dwarfed to a mere shrub. It is a small tree from 30 to 50 feet in height and from 6 to 9 inches in diameter, although under favourable conditions, it will grow much larger. The trunk is straight with little taper. On old trees the crowns are open and irregular with slender drooping branches which turn up at the ends, while in young trees, the crowns are narrow and symmetrical with short slender almost horizontal branches. The bluish-green appearance of this spruce makes it distinguishable from the other spruces.
Source: "Native Trees of Prince Edward Island and the more Common Woodland Shrubs". by J.F. Gaudet and W.M. Profitt Dept. of Agriculture. Charlottetown, PEI. 1958.
Black Spruce tree
Black Spruce branch and needles
Black Spruce bark
For more pictures and descriptions of this species, check out the Atlantic Forestry Centre, and the Iowa State University Dendrology page and the Dendrology at Virginia Tech Page. For a review of the ecology of this species, refer to the Silvics of North America and the The Natural History of the Northwoods.
In 1806, John Stewart wrote an excellent description of Forest Trees and Other Vegetable Productions on PEI at that time.
Black spruce typical tree form.
We offer a number of workshops and guided tours at the Macphail Woods and it is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the native trees of Prince Edward Island. Check out the Events Calendar for more information. Web development and maintenance by Chris Martin.
