Identify Spruce Trees

Observe the needles.

• Observe the needles. The needles of spruce trees are attached to the branches in clusters of two to five, while pine tree needles grow singly. Spruce needles are soft and flexible, not stiff and sharp. They can be dark green or blue-green in color, with a white stripe on their underside.

Examine the density of the branches.

Climb the tree for a closer look, or examine it with binoculars if you’re unsure. Spruce trees have dense branch growth. Each branch will grow out in two directions from the trunk; upward and downward. The branches are tightly packed, so you can’t see through the tree. This is unlike pine trees which have longer needles and allow you to see through them because of their more open growth pattern.

Spruce needles are short, stiff, and prickly to touch. They are arranged in dense bunches of five (some species have ten). The branches themselves are soft, flexible and difficult to break due to their stiffness. Most spruce tree species have greenish-blue needles while others may be a yellow/green color but they all maintain a conical shape as they mature.

Look at the cones.

Spruce trees are easy to distinguish from other trees because they produce small, round cones that grow in clusters at the top of the tree. A spruce’s cones stay on the tree for several years after they mature, adding to the “Christmas tree” look.

In your area, you may find multiple types of spruce trees growing in parks and wooded areas. The differences between them are subtle unless you have a keen eye and know what to look for.

Touch the bark.

Spruce trees have rough, flaky gray to brown bark that sometimes has a touch of orange. To identify spruce trees, look for bark with flaps. The bark is fairly soft and the wood is light in color and soft on the inside.

Spruce trees are tall, thin trees with dark green, soft needles that grow in clusters and come to points at their tips.

You can identify spruce trees by their dark green, soft needles that grow in clusters and come to points at their tips. Spruce needles are 2 to 5 cm (3/4 – 2 inches) long, 1 mm (1/25 inch) wide, flat, and grow all around the branch.