Picea pungens
(Colorado Blue Spruce)
Picea pungens, Ranger Lakes, State Forest State Park, Jackson Co. 4564
Picea pungens, Ranger Lakes, State Forest State Park, Jackson Co. 4563
| Scientific Name | Picea pungens | USDA PLANTS Symbol | PIPU |
| Common Name | Colorado Blue Spruce | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 183307 |
| Family | Pinaceae (Pine) | SEINet Reference |
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| Description |
Life zones and habitat: Foothills to subalpine (7000 to 11000 ft.); moister, well-drained soils in mountain valleys, canyon bottoms, and slopes, often near streams. Plant: Long-lived native evergreen tree with a dense, pyramidal to spire-shaped crown; 70 to 115 feet tall with a trunk diameter up to 3 feet; bark is gray-brown; branches slightly to strongly drooping. Needles: Needles are 1/2 to 1-1/8 inches long, single, four-sided with prominent ribs separating the four faces and with 3 to 6 lines of stomata (pores) on each face; sharp pointed tips; bluish-green. Cones: Male and female cones on same tree, usually confined to upper crown; seed cones are ovoid-oblong or cylindrical, sessile, 2 to 4 inches long and 1-1/8 to 1-3/4 inches across, with open scales, green at first, ripening yellowish-brown; pollen cones are reddish, 3/4 to 1-1/8 inches long and in whorls of 3 to 5 at the lower end of new shoots. References: "Flora of Colorado" by Jennifer Ackerfield, Trees and Shrubs Online, The Gymnosperm Database and SEINet. |
BONAP Distribution Map
Map Color Key |
Colorado Status: Native The State Tree of Colorado |
© Tom Lebsack 2026
Banner photo: Castilleja rhexifolia and a brewing storm over the San Juan Mountains
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