Washington Native Plant Society: Starflower Image Herbarium

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Picea sitchensis

Sitka spruce

At a Glance: Large tree with horizontal branches and drooping branchlets

Height: Up to 200 feet (60 meters) tall.
Growth Form: Tree.
Stems: Thin, scaly gray-brown bark.
Leaves: Stiff, very sharp needles 1-3 cm (0.4-1 in) long with 2 white lines of stomata on upper surface, usually 2 narrower lines on lower surface, attached at end to persistent woody pegs; shape: 4 sided, somewhat flattened; color: yellowish-green or bluish-green.
Flowers: Cones. Pollen cones red; seed cones 5-8 cm (2-3 in) long, cylindrical, reddish-brown becoming brown, with thin, wavy, irregularly toothed scales.
Flowering Period: none.


Photo © Heidi Bohan

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status:	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value

Berries

Seeds

Nectar for hummingbirds

Nectar for butterflies

Host for insect larvae

Thickets and shelter

Thorny or protective cover

Birds: Nuthatches, grosbeaks, finches, chickadees, siskins, goldfinches, crossbills, and sparrows all eat the seeds. Grouse eat the needles, sapsuckers harvest insects from the sap, and woodpeckers forage on bark beetles. Bald eagles and other predatory birds use the tree as a roost to survey the shore for prey. Some large birds of prey may use the mature trees for nests. Cavity-nesting birds and other animals use the tree cavities.
Mammals: Colombian black-tailed deer and Roosevelt elk consume the succulent new shoots. Deer, squirrels, chipmunks, and porcupines benefit from the shelter of the tree.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: The roots were used to make water-tight hats and baskets, especially among the Haida, and Tlingit. The pitch was chewed for pleasure. The roots were also used for twine, rope, including whaling lines. The pitch was used to caulk harpoon tips and canoes. The wood has been used for shelving, ladders, musical instruments, and airplane frames in WWI and WWII.
Medicinal Uses: The inner bark was eaten as a laxative by the Nuxalk. The pitch was used as a medicine for gonorrhea, syphilis, colds, sore throats, internal swellings, rheumatism and toothaches.
Food Uses: The Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian ate the inner bark fresh or dried into cakes with berries. The Makah ate the young shoots raw, which are high in vitamin C. The pitch can be chewed as gum.
Landscape Uses: This tree will grow too large for most landscapes.

Suggested References

Brockman, F.C. 1968. A Guide to Field Identification: Trees of North America. Western Publishing Company. Page .
Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 4.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 17.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 117.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 61.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 56.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 241.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 67.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 37.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 87.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from the Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.