Sitka Spruce - Picea sitchensis

The Sitka Spruce has a straight, tapering trunk and pointed crown. The bark is purple-grey, developing curved ridges and flaky plates with age. Twigs are light brown and hairless, and the long branches hang downwards. Needle-like leaves are straight, flattened and sharp, with two blue-white bands beneath and narrower lines on top. Male flowers are oval-shaped, blunt and pale yellow. Female flowers are red, upright and oval, and are rarely seen as they usually grow at the top of the tree. Pollinated by wind, female flowers develop into cylindrical, pale green cones, which ripen to a pale creamy-brown in autumn. The seeds within the cones are small and winged.

Norway Spruce, and various ornamental Picea that may be planted in parks and gardens. Similar to other Pinaceae species with needles borne singly, but Picea have needles on brown petiole-like pegs

Leaves flattened, two broad whitish stripes on underside; cones 6-10cm

Photos of cones and details of underside of leaves

Usually found as a planted tree in woodland, parks or other plantations.

All year round.

Coniferous evergreen tree.

Introduced to Britain in 1831. Widespread in Britain though less so in eastern England. It is commonly seen growing in plantations, where it is harvested for its timber.

Locally frequent in planted woodland areas of Leicestershire and Rutland. It was not recorded in the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire.