Engelmann Spruce are tall members of the pine family that enjoy high elevation. Its branches curve upward, and its overall shape is an elongated cone. The tree is evergreen, meaning it keeps its foliage year round. This tree has red brown bark that chips away in small pieces over time, and with exposure to the elements, primarily on facets of the trunk unprotected by branches. The Engelmann Spruce can also be found at lower elevations, but in significantly less abundance.
Image by Jsayre64, Wiki Creative Commons
Foliage
Blue green and needle like, and pointy to the touch. The needles grow at 90 degree angles from the branch itself, and in relation to one another.
Seeds or Cones
This tree produces cones that hang down from its branches. As pictured here, the cones of this spruce resemble that of many other pine family trees. Brown in color, with some mottled variations.
All illustrations by A.S. Longman
Did you know?
These trees grow at high elevation where snowpack is imminent. As a result, Engelmann Spruce saplings are sometimes completely covered by snowfall and unable to transpire at a rate to sustain their survival.
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