Needles curve outwards and upwards and may be almost
vertically arranged on the stem. They are about 1.6 to
2.5 inches long and are glaucous on both top and bottom.
The bottom has 2 faint bands of stomata separated by a
green band. Needles are soft to the touch.
Bluish to grayish green in color with bluish bands on
the lower side. Some forms are silvery blue in color.
Stalked cones that
are cylindrical and 3 to 6 inches in length and
about 1.5 to 1.75 inches in width. They are pale
green when young and turn purplish to brown at
maturity.
Smooth when young
but gray and with irregular furrows and horny,
flattened ridges at maturity.
No serious problems.
Considered a good
fir from the midwest and eastern parts of the
United States Prefer moist, well-drained soils.
Candicans’- Large bright silver-blue needles on a
narrow upright tree.
'Compacta'
- lrregularly dwarf compact shrub with
bright blue 1 to 11/2” long needles.
‘Violacea’
- silver blue
needles of great beauty; might be
mistaken for one of the silvery-blue forms of Picea pungensvar. glauca.
Unlike the blue spruce, this tree is not
susceptible to several problems (including Cytospora canker) that routinely plague the
Colorado blue spruce. Plus, the soft foliage is hard to
resist every time I walk by one in the landscape.
