White Spruce, Canadian Spruce, Skunk Spruce            PI-see-a GLAW-ka

• Conifer, evergreen tree, to 80 ft (24 m), tall and narrow in age.  Needles straight, stiff, 15-22 mm long, green to bluish-green, quadrangular in cross-section, 2-5 stomatal bands on each surface; unpleasant odor when crushed.  Cones cylindrical, slender, 3-6 cm long.
• Sun, but tolerates some shade.  Tough, withstands wind, heat, cold, drought, and crowding; can be used as hedge.  Often found at the arctic tree line.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 2    Native range from Alaska to Labrador, south into Montana, Minnesota, and New York.
• glauca: glaucous (covered with a waxy bloom that rubs off readily), the leaves