[Conifers of Mt. Adams Country]

Spruces of Mt. Adams Country

The Genus Picea

Engelmann Spruce: Picea engelmannii

Engelmann spruce photographed at the junction of roads #23 & #8810 at the southwest corner of Mt. Adams, Gifford Pinchot National Forest.........August 26, 2005.

Engelmann Spruce: Picea engelmannii var. engelmannii (Synonyms: Picea engelmannii ssp. engelmannii, Picea engelmannii var. glabra, Picea glauca ssp. engelmannii, Picea glauca var. engelmannii) - Needles 4-angled, about as wide as thick and measuring about 2.5 cm long. Whitish stomatal lines on all surfaces. Female cones about 4-5 cm long. Common above 3000' on the mountain.

Sitka Spruce: Picea sitchensis (Synonyms: Abies falcata, Abies menziesii, Picea falcata, Picea menziesii, Pinus menziesii) - Needles flatter, about twice as wide as thick and measuring 1-1.5 cm long. Whitish stomatal lines on the upper leaf. Female cones about 6-10 cm long. At this point, only seen on moist ground on the lower south slopes of Mt. Adams. After several series of wildfires have swept over the southern slopes of Mt. Adams since the mid-2000s, it remains to be seen whether any members of this rare Sitka spruce population still exists.
Paul Slichter E-mail