White Pine    Pinus strobus

Needles – 3-4” long, slender and flexible;  found in clusters of 5; gray-green
Bark – dark gray; smooth when young and becoming deeply fissured with maturity
Cones – 4-6” long; narrowly cylindrical; borne on a long stalk; yellow-brown
Shape – narrowly conical; rapid growth to 80 feet tall
Habitat – prefers well-drained, acidic soils and full sun
Uses – seeds, bark and foliage all eaten by wildlife; windbreak; landscape ornamental
Fun Fact – During the colonial times, their tall straight trunks were prized for ship masts.

 

Scotch Pine   Pinus sylvestris

Needles – 2-3” long, sharp, in bundles of two and usually twisted; blue-green
Bark – gray-brown but peels to reveal orange color underneath (especially at the top of tree)
Cones – 1-3” long; egg-shaped; found in clusters of 2 or 3; dull brown
Shape – broadly spreading in open areas/narrow growth in confined spaces; moderate growth  rate; 50-60 feet tall
Habitat – prefers well-drained, acidic soils and full sun
Uses – windbreaks; nesting sites and winter cover; Christmas trees; ornamental landscape
Fun Fact – This is the most widely distributed pine in the world.
  

Austrian Pine   Pinus nigra

Needles – 3-6” long, sharp, flexible and found in bundles of two; shiny dark green
Bark – gray-brown to black; deep furrows at maturity
Cones – 2-3” long, egg-shaped; found singly or in clusters; shiny yellow-brown
Shape – broadly columnar; rapid growth to 60 feet tall
Habitat – adapts well to most soils; prefers full sun
Uses – windbreak; ornamental landscape
Fun Fact – Studies have shown the species to be very urban resistant---has a high tolerance of  salt spray, city pollution and other city conditions.

 

Norway Spruce    Picea abies

Needles – ½” to 1” long, slender and rigid; 4-sided with sharp point at tip; shiny dark green
Bark – red-brown to gray; peeling in thin strips
Cones – very long:  5-6” long; cylindrical; light brown; hanging down
Shape – narrowly conical; rapid growth to 60-80 feet tall
Habitat – prefers well-drained, acidic soils and full sun
Uses – windbreak; shelter sites for wildlife
Fun Fact – Historically, the wood has been used for violin sound boards.

 

Colorado Blue Spruce   Picea pungens

Needles – Ύ” to 1Ό” long, sharp and arranged around shoots; silvery-blue
Bark – gray to red-brown; scaly
Cones – 2-4” long; pale brown; scales are jagged on the tips
Shape – narrowly conical in shape; slow growth to 70-100 feet tall
Habitat – prefers well-drained, acidic soils and full sun
Uses – windbreaks; nesting sites for birds; ornamental landscape
Fun Fact – The distinctive color is due to fine white powder on the needles, which can be wiped  off.  This is why older trees look less blue---rainwater has washed off the powder.

White Spruce   Picea glauca


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Needles –  ½” to Ύ" long, clustered on the top side of branches; green to blueish-green
Bark – thin, light grayish-brown and is produced in irregular, thin, scaly plates.
Cones – 1 1/4 to 2 inches long and ripen in early fall, pale brown at maturity with scales that are thin, flexible, and rounded
Shape – upright pyramidal, 50-60’ tall
Habitat – prefers moist, acidic soils and full sun
Uses – windbreaks, nesting sites for birds, ornamental landscape, pulpwood, lumber, furniture, and boxes and crates. More elegant uses include sounding boards for pianos and violins.
Fun Fact – The tough, pliable roots were once used by Indians to lace birchbark canoes and to make woven baskets.
 

 

Serbian Spruce    Picea omorika 

Needles – Less than 2" long. The upper surface of the needles is glossy, dark green. The lower surface is marked with two white stomata lines.
Bark – Brown
Cones – Elongated; oval 1 to 3 inches
Shape – The trunk grows straight and the tree requires no pruning to keep the narrow, pyramidal form. The plant will grow about 50 feet tall and spread 20 feet.
Habitat –tree grows in part shade/part sun as well as full sun. Soil tolerances: clay; loam; sand; slightly alkaline; acidic; well-drained. Drought tolerance: moderate
Uses – This tree is best used as a specimen, wind break, screen, or perhaps as an evergreen street tree for narrow overhead spaces.
Fun Fact – It is surprisingly tolerant of urban conditions, probably more so than other Spruces.

American Arborvitae    Thuja occidentalis

Leaves – 1/8” long; scalelike; borne on flattened sprays; yellow-green
Bark – orange-brown; peels in thin, fibrous strips
Cones – 5/8” long; egg-shaped; upright with 8-10 sclaes; brown
Shape – narrowly conical; rapid growth to 30 feet tall
Habitat – prefers moist, acidic soils; can tolerate full to partial sun
Uses – windbreaks; eaten by deer and other mammals in winter and canopy provides cover for  both mammals and birds; hedging; ornamental landscape
Fun Fact – Chinese use the fragrant branches for good luck at New Year celebrations.  Also, tea  prepared from the foliage in 1535 saved the crew of Jacques Cartier from scurvy due to its high Vitamin C content.

 

Red Cedar      Juniperus virginiana

Leaves – short needle-like evergreen foliage when young and becomes more scale-like,

covering the ultra-thin twigs as it matures. In either case, the foliage is prickly to the touch.

Bark – The mature bark of Eastern Redcedar is thin and often shredding into thin strips.

Exposure of the inner bark (such as rubbing by velvet-antlered bucks in late summer) reveals a bright orange color beneath the exterior light-brown to faded-gray outer bark.

Cones/Fruit – Male flowers are evident on male trees in late winter and early spring,

when the golden-brown miniature "cones" swell and release huge amounts of pollen (the ground below may turn yellow).  Female fruits are small, spherical to irregularly-shaped cones that are often silvery-blue by the end of the season.

Shape – pyramidal in shape, can be pruned to change shapes

Habitat – Tolerates just about any type of soil (fertile, sterile, clay, sandy, thin, or

rocky) and non-wet moisture condition (very dry, dry, or moist but well-drained), and adapts well to neutral or acidic soils.  Full to partly sunny.

Uses – Its aromatic heartwood is lavender-red in color, and is prized for making cedar

chests, closet wood lining, cedar shavings, small carvings, pencils, and non-rotting fence posts.  Also commonly used in conservation practices and windbreaks.

Fun Facts – You may see cedar planks sold in stores for cooking. The wood gives a unique flavor to foods cooked on it.

 

Dawn Redwood      Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Leaves – Needle-like, opposite, and arranged in flat sprays.  They are 1/2  to 1 1/2 inches long, soft and light green turning a bronzy brown in the fall.
Bark – The tree features fissured and shredded bark
Cones/Fruit – Like its near relative, the giant sequoia, it bears male and female cones upon the same tree, although the cones are much smaller.
Shape – Pyramidal Shape. Rapid Growth, up to 50' Tall.
Habitat – Dawn redwoods prefer moist slightly acidic soil that is deep enough to support the plants and enjoys hardiness zones from four through eight.
Uses – Widely planted as an ornamental tree. It has been discovered that Metasequoia will thrive in standing water, much like the baldcypress, and if left branched to the ground in full sun, will develop the large, contorted boles that have made it famous. Limbing at an early age will prohibit this formation later on.
Fun Fact – Most conifer trees are commonly thought of as evergreens.  However, the Dawn Redwood exhibits deciduous tree behavior because its needle-like leaves turn color in autumn and are dropped.