Flora of North America species comparison

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Picea abies

Picea mariana

Norway spruce, épinette de norvège

black spruce, épinette noire
Habit Trees to 30m; trunk to 2m diam.; crown conic. Trees to 25m (often shrublike); trunk to 0.25m diam.; crown narrowly conic to spirelike.
Bark

gray-brown, scaly.

gray-brown.
Branches

short and stout, the upper ascending, the lower drooping;

twigs stout, reddish brown, usually glabrous.

short and drooping, frequently layering;

twigs not pendent, rather slender, yellow-brown, pubescent.
Buds

reddish brown, 5–7mm, apex acute.

gray-brown, ca. 3mm, apex acute.
Leaves

1–2.5cm, 4-angled in cross section, rigid, light to dark green, bearing stomates on all surfaces, apex blunt-tipped.

0.6–1.5(–2)cm, 4-angled in cross section, rigid, pale blue-green, glaucous, bearing stomates on all surfaces, apex mostly blunt-tipped.
Seed

cones (10–)12–16cm;

scales diamond-shaped, widest near middle, 18–30 × 15–20mm, thin and flexuous, margin at apex erose to toothed, apex extending 6–10mm beyond seed-wing impression.

cones 1.5–2.5(–3.5)cm;

scales fan-shaped, broadest near apex, 8–12 × 8–12mm, rigid, margin at apex irregularly toothed.
2n

=24.

=24.

Picea abies

Picea mariana
Habitat Woods and persisting after cultivation. Muskegs, bogs, bottomlands, dry peatlands
Elevation 0–1500m (0–4900ft)
Distribution
from FNA
MN; probably elsewhere; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CT; MA; ME; MI; MN; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VT; WI; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Norway spruce, native to Europe, has become locally naturalized, at least in north central United States (and adjacent Canada). The species is the most widely cultivated spruce in North America; many cultivars exist, including dwarf shrubs.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

To a limited extent, Picea mariana hybridizes with P. rubens, e.g., on disturbed sites in eastern Canada. Natural hybridization with P. glauca, though reported, remains unverified (A.G. Gordon 1976).

Because Picea mariana is a small tree, it has limited commercial value. Frequently it is harvested with P. glauca and used for pulp.

Black spruce (Picea mariana) is the provincial tree of Newfoundland.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2, p. 370. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Pinaceae > Picea Pinaceae > Picea
Sibling taxa
P. breweriana, P. engelmannii, P. glauca, P. mariana, P. pungens, P. rubens, P. sitchensis
P. abies, P. breweriana, P. engelmannii, P. glauca, P. pungens, P. rubens, P. sitchensis
Synonyms Pinus abies Abies mariana, P. brevifolia, P. mariana var. brevifolia, P. nigra, Pinus nigra
Name authority (Linnaeus) H. Karsten: Deut. Fl. 2/3: 324. (1881) (Miller) Britton: Prelim. Cat. 71. (1888)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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