Sitka spruce, épinette de Sitka

Pinus sitchensis Bongard, Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint-Pétersbourg, Sér. 6, Sci. Math. 2: 164. 1832 (Aug.); Abies falcata Rafinesque; A. menziesii (Douglas ex D. Don) Lindley 1835, not Mirbel 1825; Picea falcata (Rafinesque) Suringar; P. menziesii (Douglas ex D. Don) Carrière; Pinus menziesii Douglas ex D. Don

Trees to 80m; trunk to 5m diam.; crown narrowly conic. Bark grayish brown to orange-brown. Branches somewhat drooping; twigs not pendent, rather stout, pinkish brown, glabrous. Buds reddish brown, 5--10mm, apex rounded. Leaves (1.2--)1.5--2.5(--3)cm, flattened or broadly triangular in cross section (abaxial surface rounded or slightly angular), rather rigid, blue-green to light yellow-green, abaxial surface darker green with stomatal bands very narrow or absent, adaxial surface glaucous with conspicuous stomatal bands separated by ridge, apex sharp-pointed. Seed cones 5--9(--10)cm; scales variable, elliptic to narrowly diamond-shaped, 15--22 ´ 12--16mm, rather rigid, margin at apex erose, apex extending 4--8mm beyond seed-wing impression. 2 n =24.

Pacific coastal forests; 0--900m; B.C.; Alaska, Calif., Oreg., Wash.

Picea sitchensis intergrades extensively with P . glauca in the river inlets of north coastal British Columbia and coastal Alaska. The name P . ´ lutzii Little is applied to hybrids between the two species (R.Daubenmire 1968).

Sitka spruce ( Picea sitchensis ) is the state tree of Alaska.

SELECTED REFERENCES

Daubenmire,R. 1968. Some geographic variations in Picea sitchensis and their ecologic interpretation. Canad. J. Bot. 46: 787--798.