Picea sitchensis Sitka spruce
Picea sitchensis, the Sitka spruce, is grown in huge number in the UK but not often as an ornamental. Since its introduction to the UK in 1831 (by David Douglas, of Douglas fir fame) it has been planted as a timber tree over thousands of acres of boggy ground in northern Europe and has become one of Europe’s most important timber trees. Its plantations are dark and forbidding places. It shows good growth even on poor soils and has become naturalised in some parts of the UK and Ireland. It is native to the west coast of America, right up as far as Alaska. In fact it is named after the town of Sitka on Baranof Island off Alaska’s southeast coast, which was Alaska’s capital when it was still part of Russian America. Conditions there are wet under foot, mossy, and foggy, and yet the Sitka spruce grows heartily away anyway, which is the key to its commercial popularity.
1 Bark
The bark is purplish grey in colour and thin and scaly. When the tree is mature it develops roughly circular scales that flake away.
2 Needles
Spruce needles are stiff, spiky and sharp, and arranged all the way around the stems. Each is attached to the stem via a woody peg. Needles have a rich fruity scent when crushed.
3 Cones
Cones are long and cylindrical and hang down from the branches. They start out green, and then turn reddish brown before turning a darker brown. Each of the cone’s scale has a crinkled edge to it.
4 Silhouette
Sitka spruces are tall, narrow and conical when young, becoming cylindrical as the tree ages. Lower limbs are often lost with age creating a gappy look.