Field Guide

The Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens), also known as the Colorado Spruce or Silver Spruce, is a popular evergreen tree known for its stunning blue-gray foliage.

Size and Shape:

• Colorado Blue Spruces are large evergreen trees, typically reaching heights of 30 to 60 feet when fully grown.

• They have a pyramidal shape with dense, horizontal branches that extend outward, creating a symmetrical and conical silhouette.

Needles:

• The most distinctive feature of the Colorado Blue Spruce is its needle color. The needles have a bluish or silvery-gray hue, giving the tree its name.

• The needles are sharp and stiff, measuring around 1 to 1.5 inches long.

Cones:

• They produce upright, cylindrical cones that are typically around 2 to 4 inches long.

• The cones start off green and eventually mature to a light brown or tan color. They hang down from the branches and persist on the tree for several years.

Bark:

• The bark of young Colorado Blue Spruces is usually smooth and grayish to reddish-brown in color.

• As the tree ages, the bark becomes rougher and develops shallow furrows.

Origin:

• Colorado Blue Spruces are native to the Rocky Mountains of the western United States, particularly Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico.

• They are commonly used as ornamental trees in landscapes and can be found in various regions beyond their native range.