Spruces:

Family: Pinacea
Genus: Picea
Spruces grow widely throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The needles occur singly in packed, horizontal rows along the twigs, lighter in colour on the underside than they are on the upper side, and are attached to the twig by stiff pegs (pulvini).

There are two main species grown commercially in this country, namely the Norway Spruce (Picea abies), and the Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis).

The Norway Spruce is the true Christmas Tree and although indegenous to Europe, it is thought to have been introduced to Britain. The bark of the tree is reddish in colour and the needles are dark green. The Sitka Spruce is pictured here.

The Sitka Spruce is indegenous to the west coast of N America, but is planted extensively in the areas of Scotland with higher rainfall, where it thrives on the damper sites. Its bark is dark brown and needles are bluish-green and prickly. The wood of both trees is straw coloured with slightly darker "winter wood". The "winter wood" appears shiny on long-cut surfaces. It is a good joinery timber and much used for pulp.