7.
Picea sitchensis
(Bongard) Carrière, 260. 1855.
Sitka spruce, épinette de Sitka
Pinus sitchensis
Bongard, Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint-Pétersbourg, Sér. 6, Sci. Math. 2: 164. 1832 (Aug.);
Abies falcata
Rafinesque;
A
.
menziesii
(Douglas ex D. Don) Lindley 1835, not Mirbel 1825;
Picea falcata
(Rafinesque) Suringar;
P
.
menziesii
(Douglas ex D. Don) Carrière;
Pinus menziesii
Douglas ex D. Don
Trees to 80m; trunk to 5m diam.; crown narrowly conic. Bark grayish brown to orange-brown. Branches somewhat drooping; twigs not pendent, rather stout, pinkish brown, glabrous. Buds reddish brown, 5--10mm, apex rounded. Leaves (1.2--)1.5--2.5(--3)cm, flattened or broadly triangular in cross section (abaxial surface rounded or slightly angular), rather rigid, blue-green to light yellow-green, abaxial surface darker green with stomatal bands very narrow or absent, adaxial surface glaucous with conspicuous stomatal bands separated by ridge, apex sharp-pointed. Seed cones 5--9(--10)cm; scales variable, elliptic to narrowly diamond-shaped, 15--22 ´ 12--16mm, rather rigid, margin at apex erose, apex extending 4--8mm beyond seed-wing impression. 2 n =24.
Pacific coastal forests; 0--900m; B.C.; Alaska, Calif., Oreg., Wash.
Picea sitchensis intergrades extensively with P . glauca in the river inlets of north coastal British Columbia and coastal Alaska. The name P . ´ lutzii Little is applied to hybrids between the two species (R.Daubenmire 1968).
Sitka spruce ( Picea sitchensis ) is the state tree of Alaska.
SELECTED REFERENCES
Daubenmire,R. 1968. Some geographic variations in
Picea sitchensis
and their ecologic interpretation. Canad. J. Bot. 46: 787--798.
