Flora of New Zealand Series

Sitka spruce

Large tree, pyramidal when young; bark dark reddish brown, exfoliating in thin scales. Shoots light brown or yellowish brown when young, glabrous, grooved; lf pegs very prominent after lvs fall. Buds ovoid, glabrous, very thinly resinous. Lvs 1-2.3 cm long, strongly flattened, pungent-pointed, sweetly scented, ± sloping forwards on upper side of shoot; lower surface with c. 10 glaucous stomatal bands; upper surface shining, sometimes with 1-2 often broken rows of stomata. ♂ strobili yellow. Mature ♀ cones mostly 3.5-5.5 cm long, broadly cylindric-oblong; ovuliferous scales ovate-oblong, thin, flexible, becoming erose towards apex; bracts small, scarcely 1/2 as long. Seed with wing at least 3× length of seed body.

S.: Canterbury (Hanmer, Mt Cook National Park), Southland (Dusky, near Tapanui).

W. North America 1957

Regenerating in the vicinity of planted trees, around plantations in scrub and similar fairly open sites.

Sitka spruce is cultivated in the cooler parts of N.Z., especially in inland South Id areas. Another commonly cultivated W. North American sp. is P. pungens Engelm., Colorado spruce. It is usually seen as one or more of its blue-needled cvs, and is also distinguished from P. sitchensis by its more radially spreading, rigid, very aromatic (but not sweetly so) lvs, and reflexed bud scales.