Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens)
First place champion blue spruce near Telluride.
Species info:
Leaves: Single needles attached individually around the stem (not in bundles). Needles are stiff, sharply pointed, and radiate outward at right angles to the branch. Color varies from green to blue to silver-blue depending on genetic variation.
Leaflets: None (single needles).
Leaf Surface: Hard, rigid, sharply pointed; glaucous waxy coating on blue forms; aromatic and sharply acidic-tasting when chewed.
Bark: Gray, furrowed, and scaly; usually visible only after lower limbs self-prune or are removed.
Flowers: Both male and female reproductive structures occur on the same tree (monoecious). Male pollen cones are often orange to red; female cones appear reddish-purple when young.
Fruit: Cones 2–4 inches long; green when immature, turning yellow-brown as they ripen and drop seeds. Cones hang downward and have thin, flexible scales.
Botanical: Picea pungens
Family: Pinaceae
Mature Height: 50–75 feet (typically ~60 feet in Colorado; shorter in hot, dry climates)
Canopy Spread: 20–30 feet; narrow when young, broadens slightly with age
Foliage Type: Evergreen conifer
Tree Shape: Strongly pyramidal with a pronounced central leader (excurrent form)
Growth Rate: Slow to moderate; faster with consistent moisture and cool-site conditions
Fruit: Cones
Flowers: Inconspicuous
Fall Color: Evergreen (needle color varies from green to blue to silver-blue)
Water Use: Moderate; prefers evenly moist soils but tolerates some drought once established
Hardiness: Zones 3–7
Soil Preference: Moist, well-drained loams; tolerates clay but avoids waterlogged soils; thrives in acidic to slightly alkaline soils
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Wildlife Value: Provides cover and winter shelter for birds; seeds consumed by squirrels and small mammals
Pests/Pathogens: Cooley spruce gall adelgid (cone-like galls on branch tips), spider mites (especially in hot, dry regions), cytospora canker (common on stressed or older trees)
Planting Recommendations: This Colorado native is Colorado’s state tree and it recommended for most sites.
Information Sources:
Front Range Tree Recommendation List
Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (University of Georgia, 1990)
USDA Forest Service, Silvics of North America, Volume 1 -- Conifers
