Picea pungens - Colorado Spruce

Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens
Family: PINACEAE

This beautiful blue spruce is native to higher elevations in the Rocky Mountains where it is found in small groves or as scattered trees. It is used often as an ornamental due to its symmetry and color. The white hue on the needles is due to the presence of surface waxes and rows of stomata (used for gas exchange). This conifer is slow-growing and long-lived, reaching 600 to 800 years in age.