The spruce is a hardy evergreen tree that grows in cool climates, and is often used as a Christmas tree during the holiday season. There are more than 40 species of cypress trees worldwide, some of the most common including Colorado spruce and Norwegian spruce. Like pine and fir, spruce trees have needle leaves instead of regular leaves. Therefore, these three types of trees are often difficult to distinguish. When identifying a tree, first determine whether it is spruce, and not pine or fir. Then examine the needles, bark, and conifers to determine the spruce species.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Checking the Tree
Step 1. Look at the fir needle leaves
Before trying to narrow down a spruce species, first make sure you're not looking at fir or pine. Examining the conifers of a tree is the easiest way to tell the three apart. The pine needles are attached singly to the branches, not in groups. The pine needles have four sides and can be turned easily between your fingers.
- The needles of pine trees grow in clusters so that they are easy to distinguish directly from spruce.
- Meanwhile, fir needle leaves grow singly, like spruce. However, fir needles taper toward the tip and are easy to twist between your fingers, whereas fir needles are flatter, less pointed, and cannot be twisted between your fingers.
Step 2. Pay attention to the cones
Noticing spruce conifers is also a great way to identify them. Conifers grow from tree branches and contain the tree's seeds. Spruce, pine, and fir have conifers, as do other conifers such as cedar and hemlock. Spruce conifers have fine, thin scales, are flexible, and easy to bend. Pine cones have thick, leathery, woody scales, making them inflexible.
Step 3. Feel the tree branch
Evergreen tree needles grow out of small wooden pegs from branches. When the needles fall from the tree, these stakes are left behind and give the branch a rough feeling. These pegs look like three-dimensional dots along the surface of a tree branch. Fir and pine branches don't have this kind of stalk, so they feel smoother than spruce branches.
Step 4. Look at the shape of the branch
The spruce is thick and full, and has upturned branches. On the other hand, fir trees have branches pointing downwards, making them easy to distinguish from spruce. Pine trees also have upturned branches, but there are fewer of them so they are seen less often than spruce.
Method 2 of 3: Narrowing Fir Species by Location
Step 1. Use the region to narrow the spruce species
Certain types of cypress are common in certain locations. Pay attention to the location of spruce trees and do some research on the types of cypress native to the area. Look for illustrated guides to trees in your area to help identify spruce species.
- In the United States, Colorado spruce is common in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest.
- Red spruce, black spruce, and blue spruce are common varieties and are usually grown in the Northeast.
- Norwegian white spruce and spruce are very common in the Northeast and Northwest.
- There are also several varieties of cypress that are native to East Asian countries, Turkey, and various areas of Western Europe.
Step 2. Consider the area nearby
Different species of cypress will grow in different conditions. Some spruce trees tend to only grow near water sources or areas with rich soil, while others do well in harsh climates. Take into account the area where the spruce grows.
- Colorado spruce grows well in environments that have rich, gravel soil such as areas around rivers or streams.
- Black spruce grows very well in swamps, so it is sometimes referred to as swamp spruce.
- Red spruce is often found in cool forests along with various other conifers.
- White spruce tends to grow in the most acidic soil around rivers or streams and often grows around other coniferous hardwood trees.
- Norway spruce can grow in a variety of cooler climates, but thrives in moist, acidic soil.
Step 3. Ask the plant seller to identify the Christmas fir
If you are trying to identify a Christmas tree, the origin of the tree may not be known. However, if you want to try to identify the type of tree, ask the seller. If it wasn't purchased from a store or grocer, you'll need to look closely at the tree to identify it.
The spruces most often used as Christmas trees are the Colorado spruce and white spruce
Method 3 of 3: Determining the Type of Fir
Step 1. Check the needle leaf
Different species of cypress have different needles. Needle leaf color, size, and even the smell when the needles are crushed can be helpful factors when identifying an evergreen tree.
- The Colorado fir has fairly sharp blue or silvery blue needle leaves and is 2 cm to 4 cm long.
- Black fir has needles that are short and about 1 cm thick.
- The red fir has yellow-green needle leaves 1 to 2.5 cm long that give off an orange peel odor when crushed.
- White fir has fragrant bluish-green leaves that give off an unpleasant skunk odor when crushed.
- The Norwegian fir has dark green leaves that are about 2.5 cm long.
Step 2. Look at the conifers
Spruce cones often differ between different species. Pay special attention to the size and color of the conifers. If spruce conifers don't match the descriptions of the most common spruce varieties listed below, use the tree identification guide to assist in narrowing down the tree species.
- The Colorado fir has dark brown conifers about 5-10 cm long.
- The black fir has rounded dark purple cones with a length of 1-4 cm. Conifers grow on the tops of trees.
- The red fir has reddish-brown cones about 4 cm long and has a rough texture.
- The white fir has thin conifers and is about 3 to 5 cm long. The white fir cones are light brown in color and very flexible.
- The Norwegian fir has special large conifers that grow up to 10-18 cm long and are light brown in color.
Step 3. Look at the color of the bark
Spruce trees also have slight variations in bark color between the various species. While this may not provide a definitive answer on its own, the color of the tree's bark can also be taken into account as an additional factor in identifying spruce trees.
- The Colorado fir has a thin bark that is in the form of small scales. The bark of the tree changes color from pale gray to brown as the tree ages.
- The black fir has a thin, scaly bark that is dark green brown in color.
- Red spruce has a reddish-brown bark that can be especially seen between the bark scales.
- White spruce has bark that is gray-brown, or sometimes grayish.
- The Norwegian fir has a scaly bark that is gray-brown in color.
Step 4. Consider the shape of the fir tree
For some species of cypress, the shape of the tree is the most clearly distinguishable trait. Tree height can also be used to narrow down the possible species, but keep in mind that certain trees may not yet fully grow.
- The Colorado spruce has an open, pyramid-like shape. Mature trees grow to a height of 21-24 meters.
- Black spruce is narrow and often has stalk-like shoots, because the branches on the treetops are quite short. This evergreen tree can grow to a height of 15-21 meters.
- The red spruce grows straight up and is shaped like a cone. The height of this fir can reach 18-24 meters.
- White fir has a broad base and looks a bit asymmetrical, especially towards the top of the tree. This spruce can grow up to 18-27 meters.
- The Norwegian fir grows very symmetrically, and often has dangling branches. This evergreen tree can grow up to 24-27 meters.
Tips
- The closer you are to the tree, the easier the identification process will be.
- If the tree under investigation doesn't look like one of the most common spruce species, look up information from guidebooks or the internet about the most common cypress varieties in the area.
- If you're trying to examine a spruce tree from pictures alone, try to find out where the picture was taken, and pay close attention to the shape and leaves of the tree's needles as you may not be able to see the bark or conifers clearly.
