Virginia Tech Dendrology

Chihuahua spruce Pinaceae Picea chihuahuana Martinez symbol:
Leaf: Evergreen, four-sided needles (1 inch long), which are very sharp, flexible and bluish green. Each needle borne on a raised, woody peg (sterigma).
Flower: Species is monoecious; male flowers cylindrical, purple and hanging in lower crown; females cylindrical, red and upright in the upper crown.
Fruit: Cone to 5 inches long, stiff scales with rounded scales, light brown.
Twig: Lateral branches pendulous, gray-brown, glabrous, with prominent woody pegs.
Bark: Thin, gray-reddish brown, becoming very scaly and loose.
Form: Medium to large tree (to 120 feet tall), straight trunk, narrow crown. At the highest elevations it will appear very windswept.
Looks like: Engelmann spruce - blue spruce

Additional Range Information: Picea chihuahuana is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material © 2021 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