Sitka Spruce
\n| Sitka Spruce |
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Young Sitka Spruce in a forestry plantation in Britain |
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| Binomial name |
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\n| Picea sitchensis |
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The
Sitka Spruce (
Picea sitchensis) is a large
evergreen tree growing to 50-70 m tall, exceptionally to 96 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of up to 5 m. It is by far the largest species of
spruce, and one of the ten tallest tree species in the world. It is native to the west coast of
North America, with its northwestern limit on
Kodiak Island,
Alaska, and its southeastern limit just north of
San Fransisco,
California. It is closely associated with
temperate rain forests, and nowhere does its range extend more than 80 km from the
Pacific Ocean.
\nThe shoots are very pale buff-brown, almost white, and glabrous (hairless). The leaves are needle-like, 15-25 mm long, flattened in cross-section, and dark blue-green above, and blue-white below. The
cones are 5-11 cm long, and have thin, flexible scales. They are green or reddish, maturing pale brown 5-7 months after pollination.
Trees over 90 m tall may be seen in the
Pacific Rim National Park on
Vancouver Island,
British Columbia (
Canada), and in the
Olympic National Park,
Washington and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park,
California (
USA); two at the last site are just over 96 m tall.
A unique specimen with golden foliage growing on the
Queen Charlotte Islands, known as
Kiidk'yaas, is sacred to the
Haida Native American people.
Outside of its native range, Sitka Spruce is of major importance in
forestry for
timber and
paper production, and as an ornamental tree in large
gardens, in northwest
Europe and southern
New Zealand. It is particularly valued for its fast growth on poor soils and exposed sites where few other trees can be grown successfully. It is naturalised in some parts of
Britain and
New Zealand, though not so extensively as to be considered an invasive
weed tree.
External links
\n*Gymnosperm Database\n*
Arboretum de Villardebelle - photos of cones of Picea sitchensis and related spruces