Red Spruce, Picea rubens

Last May and August I visited and took photos of the Thomas Darling Preserve in northeast PA in the Poconos. There are some special bog sites up there that have less common plants. This is Red Spruce that is found in some locations from northeast Canada down the Appalachians to Georgia. The needles are only .05 to .07" long and the small rounded cones are only 1.3 to 2" long. The last photo shows even smaller Black Spruce cones above, as there were some of those of that very similar species there also. Both grow about 2/3 ft/year. The White Spruce that is planted occasionally in landscapes is a similar native species with needles 1" long and cones to 2.5" long and grows about 1.5 ft/yr.

Growth and Yield- Red spruce is a medium-size tree at maturity, reaching 30 to 61 cm (12 to 24 in) in d.b.h. and 18 to 23 m (60 to 75 ft) in height in the Northeast, and up to 35 m (115 ft) in the Appalachian Mountains.