E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.
black spruce
Pinaceae (Pine family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Jamie Fenneman  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #26093)

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Distribution of Picea mariana
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Introduction

This is a small evergreen coniferous tree species.

Species Information

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General:
Small tree, to 20 m tall, with short branches; bark grey to blackish, scaly, thin; young twigs densely hairy and glandular.
Leaves:
Needles short, 5-10 (12) mm long, sharp or blunt, with whitish bloom; standing out in all directions or mostly pointing upwards; 4-angled.
Cones:
Seed cones persistent, 1.5-3 cm long, becoming purplish; scales broadly rounded and irregularly toothed at tip.
Notes:
Reports of hybrids with P. glauca are probably erroneous; see Parker and McLachlan (1978).

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer
Source:  The USDA

Habitat / Range

Wet to mesic bogs, fens, swamps, and lower slopes in the montane zone; common in C and N BC interior; N to AK, E to NF and S to MN and PA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Picea mariana

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 6 847 1975
Slope Gradient (%) 0 6 262
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		0 323 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		1 5 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 B
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 1758
Modal BEC Zone Class
 BWBS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BWBS(832), ESSF(59), ICH(48), IDF(1), MS(5), SBPS(94), SBS(530), SWB(53)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is montane boreal & cool temperate.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Pinaceae
 Flora North America treatment for Picea mariana
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-16 11:07:39 PM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
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