Picea sitchensis Grow your own Sitka Spruce, the world's largest spruce and the third-tallest tree species on the planet! 100% guaranteed Seed-grown on California's Redwood Coast Transplanting and care instructions included Highlights MoistureMedium Cold Hardiness0°F LightFull Sun / Partial Shade Size150 – 300' tall / 20 – 50' spread Lifespan800 yrs Growth RateFast Growing Drought ToleranceLow Wind ResistanceHigh Tree Story About Sitka Spruce The Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) is a large evergreen tree growing up to between 50 and 70m tall — 96m tall in some cases — with a trunk diameter of up to 5m. It is by far the largest species of spruce, and the third-tallest tree species in the world (after Coast Redwood and Douglas Fir).The bark is thin and scaly, flaking off in small circular plates 5 – 20cm across. The crown is broad-conic in young trees, becoming cylindric in older trees; old trees may have no branches in the lowest 30 – 40m. The shoots are pale buff-brown, almost white, and glabrous, but with prominent pulvini. The leaves are stiff, sharp and needle-like, 15 – 25mm long, flattened in cross-section, dark glaucous blue-green above with two or three thin lines of stomata, and blue-white below with two dense bands of stomata. The cones are pendulous, slender-cylindrical, 5 – 11cm long and 2cm broad when closed, opening to 3cm. They have thin, flexible scales 15 – 20mm long; the bracts just above the scales are the longest of any spruce, occasionally just exerted and visible on the closed cones. They are green or reddish, maturing pale brown 5 – 7 months after pollination. The seeds are black, 3mm long, with a slender, 7 – 9mm long pale brown wing. About Jonsteen's Seedlings All of our trees are seed-grown at our nursery on California's Redwood Coast, which is inspected monthly and licensed by the California Department of Agriculture. Trees can provide a natural barrier against high winds, temperatures, noise pollution and soil erosion, all while benefiting local air quality, wildlife and property values — a Jonsteen seedling will only grow in value and beauty! About Jonsteen's 100% Guarantee All of our trees are guaranteed to arrive healthy and in good condition. If your tree perishes despite your honest efforts, we will be happy to replace it with a small-sized seedling for just the cost of shipping/handling. You can learn more about our guarantee and tree replacement policy here. Size Chart Seedling Size Chart: Small Due to the dynamic nature of actively growing trees, as well as the tremendous variation between species’ growth rates, we rely on the cubic volume of a seedling’s root mass to determine its “size” (Small / Medium / Large / XL). Within each size there is minor variance — the dimensions provided here represent the category minimum. If exact measurements are essential, please contact us about current stock.
