Introductory
SPECIES: Picea glauca | White Spruce 



ABBREVIATION : 
PICGLA

SYNONYMS : 
NO-ENTRY


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   PIGL


COMMON NAMES : 
   white spruce
   Canadian spruce
   western white spruce
   Alberta spruce
   Black Hills spruce
   skunk spruce
   cat spruce
   Alberta white spruce
   Porsild spruce


TAXONOMY : 
 The currently accepted scientific name of white spruce is Picea glauca
(Moench) Voss [40].  The genus Picea consists of about 30 species of
evergreen trees found in cool, temperate regions of the northern
hemisphere.  Seven species of Picea, including white spruce, are native
to North America.  White spruce is widely distributed across northern
North America and exhibits considerable geographic variation.  However,
Little [40] thinks it unnecessary to distinguish varieties, although up
to four have been recognized by various other authorities.

Natural hybridization between species of Picea is common.  Engelmann
spruce (P. engelmannii) x white spruce hybrids are common where the
ranges of these species overlap.  Natural crosses between these species
occur from central British Columbia as far south as eastern Washington
and Yellowstone National Park [15].  Within this area trees at low
elevations closely resemble pure white spruce, while pure Engelmann
spruce tends to dominate at higher elevations.  Hybrids between the
species are concentrated on intervening slopes.  Sitka spruce (P.
sitchensis) and white spruce are sympatric in northwestern British
Columbia and southwestern Alaska.  Hybrids occur in this area of
sympatry, and have been classified as Picea X lutzi Little.  Hybrids
between black spruce (P. mariana) and white spruce are relatively rare
[45].


LIFE FORM : 
Tree

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Ronald Uchytil/April 1991


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Uchytil, Ronald J. 1991. Picea glauca. In: Remainder of Citation

Related categories for Species: Picea glauca | White Spruce