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    • ERICA, ERICA'S TREE (and a short history of Guiding) - June 14, 2018
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  • Picea mariana

Picea mariana

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Common name: black spruce, epinette noire (French)


Picea mariana is a very cold-hardy, medium-sized evergreen that is often found in wet, boggy areas. It can be found across the boreal region (taiga) of North America. By the way, Canada has 28% of the world's boreal region.  P. mariana is a transcontinental species and can be found in all ten of Canada's provinces and all three of its territories.


P. mariana foliage is needle-like, stiff, four-sided, and is a blue-green colour. Each needle is attached individually to the branch rather than in clusters. Black spruce cones are the smallest of all spruce cones. They are about two to three centimetres (one inch) long. They are egg-shaped with stiff scales and purplish-brown in colour. The cones tend to cluster near the crown of the tree. Like other Picea species, they hang downward.  P. mariana bark is thin, grayish-brown, and scaly, like potato chips. Black spruce has a shallow, spreading root system, and is susceptible to wind throw (being toppled or uprooted by wind).  


P. mariana is the official tree of Newfoundland and Labrador and is that province's most numerous tree. Black spruce is appreciated by wildlife, providing both cover and a food source. P. mariana is harvested mainly for the pulp and paper industry. Due to its long fibres, it makes quality paper products. As well, fast food chopsticks are often made from black spruce.


First Nations used black spruce wood to construct fish traps and snowshoe frames. The roots were used to sew baskets. Black spruce gum, cones, needles, roots, and bark were used medicinally to treat a wide variety of ailments. Black spruce tips are high in vitamin C.


Phillip Miller, an English botanist of Scottish descent, is credited with naming P. mariana. He was head gardener of the Chelsea Physic Garden and authored The Gardener's Dictionary published in 1731. The specific epithet mariana means 'of Maryland'.  (B. C. Ministry of Forests)


Picea mariana is located in Bed 135B of the Canadian Heritage Garden across the path from the Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana).


Text and photos by Kumi Sutcliffe

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  • Home
  • Updates
    • What's New
    • Curator Updates
    • Garden Stories >
      • Garden Story Index
    • Self-Guided Tours
    • Walks & Talks >
      • Walks and Talks 2023
      • Walks and Talks 2022
      • Walks -Talks 2021 & Zoom Tips
    • PDFs of Updates, Tours, & Talks >
      • Self-guided Tours (PDF)
      • Gardener Walks (PDF)
  • Plant IDs
    • ID By Flower Color >
      • Red Flowers
      • Pink Flowers
      • Orange Flowers
      • Yellow Flowers
      • Green Flowers
      • Blue Flowers
      • Purple Flowers
      • White Flowers
    • ID By Type >
      • Annuals
      • Berries-Fruits-Nuts
      • Bulbs, Corms, Rhizomes, Tubers >
        • Bulbs
        • Corms
        • Rhizomes
        • Tubers
      • Ferns
      • Grasses
      • Medicinal Plants
      • Native Plants
      • Perennials >
        • Peonies
        • Salvias
      • Rhododendrons >
        • Rhodendron Erica Notes
      • Shrubs >
        • Calycanthus
        • Hydrangeas >
          • Hydrangea Background
        • Peonies >
          • Peonies-Overview
        • Rhododendrons
        • Roses >
          • Rose Background
      • Trees >
        • Conifers >
          • Cypress
          • Firs
          • Pines
        • Deciduous Trees >
          • Dogwoods
          • Ginkgos
          • Magnolias
          • Witch Hazels
        • Native Trees
        • Tree of the Month
  • In the Garden
    • Map and Collection Lists
    • Art in the Garden >
      • Symposium & Exhibitions
    • Building and Grounds >
      • Bridges
      • Formal Rose Garden Hardscape and Art
      • Grotto Area & Black Garden
      • Korean Pavilion
      • Maze
    • Gardener Assignments
    • Collections >
      • Ash Collection
      • Camellia Collection
      • Rhododendron Walk
    • Gardens >
      • Gardens A-D >
        • Alma VanDusen Garden
        • Backyard Bird Garden
        • Bentall Garden
        • Black Garden
        • Canadian Heritage Garden >
          • Bees
          • Canadian Heritage Orchard
        • Cascadia Garden
        • Cherry Grove
        • Chilean Garden
      • Gardens E-H >
        • Eastern North America Garden
        • Fern Dell
        • Formal Rose Garden
        • Fragrance Garden
        • Heather Garden
        • Herb Garden
        • Heritage Rose Garden
      • Gardens I-P >
        • Laburnum Walk
        • Livingstone Lake
        • Meconopsis Dell
        • Meditation Garden
        • Mediterranean Garden
        • Ornamental Grasses
        • Perennial Garden
      • Gardens R-Z >
        • Rhododendron Walk
        • Sino-Himayalan Region
        • South African Garden
        • Southern Hemisphere
        • Stone Garden
        • Vegetable Garden
        • Woodland Garden
    • Garden History >
      • History photos
  • Science
    • Animals & Insects >
      • Birds
      • Butterflies and Moths
      • Insect Friends
      • Small Creatures
    • Buds
    • Colour and Vision
    • Dynamic Symmetry - Fibonacci Spirals
    • Flowers
    • Fruit
    • Germination
    • Habitats and Environments
    • Hormones
    • Leaves
    • Life on Earth
    • Light, Energy, and Rainbows
    • Plant Calendars
    • Pollination
    • Pollen
    • Roots
    • Scents
    • Seeds
    • Soil
    • Stems
    • Vascular Plants
    • Web of Interdependence
    • Weeds
  • Bloedel
  • Search
  • About
    • ERICA, ERICA'S TREE (and a short history of Guiding) - June 14, 2018
  • Contact