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Brewer spruce Pinaceae Picea breweriana S. Watson Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: PIBR
Leaf: Evergreen, four-sided needles, spirally arranged; 1 inch long, with a blunt apex; tend to point forward on the twig; green above with white bloom below. Each needle borne on a raised, woody peg (sterigma).
Flower: Species is monoecious; male cones erect or pendent; female cones green to purple and borne near the top of the tree.
Fruit: Cylindrical cones, 2 to 6 inches long with thin, woody, spirally arranged scales with smooth, rounded tips, reddish brown when mature; cones ripen in one growing season; occur near the top of the tree.
Twig: Pendulous, slender, and whip-like (commonly 4 to 8 feet long); covered with peg-like projections (sterigmata).
Bark: Thin (usually less than 1 inch); reddish brown; long, firmly attached scales.
Form: Moderate sized evergreen tree commonly growing 50 to 80 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet in diameter. Open, sparse crown with long, pendulous branches that give it a weeping appearance.
 Looks like: Sitka spruce - Engelmann spruce - Norway spruce

Brewer spruce leaf image
Brewer spruce flower image
Brewer spruce fruit image
Brewer spruce twig image
Brewer spruce bark image
Brewer spruce form image
Brewer spruce map image

Additional Range Information: Picea breweriana is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS Silvics of North America - USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information