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

Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière
Sitka spruce
Pinaceae (Pine family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Picea sitchensis
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Introduction

This is a tall evergreen coniferous trees species that is found from southeast Alaska south to northern California.

Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.

Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Tall tree, up to 90 m tall; bark greyish-brown to purplish, scaly, thin; young twigs glabrous; main branches of tree noticably long and horizontal with drooping branchlets.

Leaves:
Needles sharp, flattened; standing out in all directions; pungent.

Cones:
Seed cones 5-9 cm long, reddish-brown to yellowish-brown, scales rounded and finely irregularly toothed at tip; pollen cones red.

Notes:
Hybridizes with P. glauca and P. engelmannii (see notes under P. glauca and P. engelmannii).

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 Fall

Source: The USDA

Habitat / Range

Moist to mesic slopes and river terraces in the lowland and montane zones; common in extreme W BC; N to SE AK and S to N CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Picea sitchensis

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
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	0	143	1440
Slope Gradient (%)	0	21	410
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	0	257	360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	0	4	8
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	D
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	2754
Modal BEC Zone Class	CWH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	AT(1), CDF(21), CMA(4), CWH(2580), ESSF(1), ICH(10), MH(94), MS(1), SBS(3)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Ecological Indicator Information

A shade-intolerant, submontane to montane, Pacific North American evergreen conifer. Occurs in hypermaritime to maritime cool mesothermal climates on nitrogen-rich soils. Avoids moisture-deficient and nutrient-deficient soils. Its occurrence increases with increasing latitude and precipitation and decreases with increasing elevation and continentality. Forms pure, open-canopy stands along the outer coast on sites affected by ocean spray and brackish water, and in advanced stages of primary succession on floodplains. Usually associated with black cottonwood, western hemlock, or western redcedar. Most productive on fresh and moist, nutrient-very rich soils within very wet cool mesothermal climates. Characteristic of hypermaritime mesothermal forests.

Source: Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia (Information applies to coastal locations only)

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 cool mesothermal.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

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

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

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: 2024-05-06 12:43:51 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.