Simcoe County Master Gardeners
Grow Natives!
PLANT PROFILE
COMMON NAME: White Spruce
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Picea glauca
| Family | Pine |
| Cdn Native Range | coast to coast, north to south |
| Natural habitat | wide range of soils and climates but prefers rich, moist soil |
| Features | evergreen; 4-sided needles are stiff and straight but not sharp, and arranged in a spiral; pungent when crushed; with age, the bark turns a salmon pink colour |
| Growth habit | the form varies from irregular to spire-like depending on the location; shallow root system; slow-growing |
| Mature height | 25 m (82 ft) |
| Mature trunk width | 60 cm (2 ft) |
| Life span | 200 years |
| Cdn Hardiness Zone | 1a–5b |
| Growing conditions | full sun to part shade |
| Soil conditions | prefers rich, moist soil |
| Watering needs | supplementary watering for the first 2–3 years |
| Tolerance | drought, shade, deer, rabbit; diverse soils |
| Pruning needs | none other than to remove dead, diseased, or damaged branches |
| Bloom | in spring |
| Fruit | scaly male and female cones on the same tree; male cones are yellow and point downward; female cones are longer, pale brown and point upwards |
| Pollinator support | a pollinator powerhouse; larval host to dozens of moth species such as the painted lichen, pale beauty, and white-fringed emerald; also supports bees attracted to its nectar and pollen; feeds beneficial insects and spiders |
| Environmental support | attracts songbirds and other pollinators and wildlife that eat the seeds; food and shelter for numerous birds, red squirrels, martens, and other small mammals; carbon sequestration; ecological restoration; air quality improvement |
| Garden Use | specimen, erosion control |
| Risks & Cautions | susceptible to rust diseases, budworm and sawflies |
References: John Laird Farrar, Trees in Canada; Linda Kershaw, Trees of Ontario; Lorraine Johnson and Sheila Colla, A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee; Heather Holm, Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide.
Photo Credits:
White Spruce – White Spruce (credit: Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0)
White Spruce – mature cones (credit: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0)
White Spruce – immature cones (credit: Laura Wolf, CC BY 2.0)
