The red spruce can be commonly found along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the highest peaks of North Carolina and Virginia and increasing in numbers into Maine. It is often found growing with Fraiser Fir trees at higher elevations. It is a cool region tree that requires full sun, ample moisture, and acidic, well-drained soil, even being able to grow on rocky soil. It forms a broader crown than other eastern spruces, still maintaining a narrowly conical form, and its needles are a brighter yellow-green. Its trunk has a diameter of 1 to 2 ft. and it may grow to 150 feet tall in areas where humidity and rainfall are abundant. The sawdust, resin from the trunk and the needles can cause dermatitis in some. It dislikes summer heat. It is sensitive to air pollution which may be contributing to its declining numbers in the wild.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
more than 60 feet
NC region
Mountains
Mature size
Height: 60 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 18 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Oval; Pyramidal
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
< 1 inch long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
4 sided dark yellow-green needles that are 1/2 to 5/8 in. long. They are pointed and shiny.
Green to purple cones, mature to a reddish brown lustre. 1.25 to 2 in. long with smooth-edged scales. They fall off shortly after ripening. Displays in October.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Dark gray-brown to reddish-brown broken into irregular scales. The inner bark that shows between the scales is often reddish.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow
Stem detail
Stout yellow-brown stems.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern North America
Wildlife value
Nesting site for birds, Twigs, leaves, and seeds are eaten by wildlife
Attracts
Butterflies; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Uses (ethnobotany)
Wood used for construction of musical instruments; used to be used to construct airplanes
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn; Meadow; Naturalized Area; Woodland
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Native Garden
Design feature
Accent; Border; Screen/Privacy; Specimen
Garden tags
#evergreen #native tree #conifer #wind tolerant #moist soil #well-drained soil #rocky soils tolerant #bird friendly #Piedmont Mountains FACU #Coastal FACU #food source herbage #food source hard mast fruit #mammals #food source fall #Audubon #full sun tolerant #larval host plant #acidic soils tolerant #butterfly friendly #wildlife friendly #NC native
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Spruce Spider Mite; Spruce Rust Mite; Pests of Conifers; Deodar Weevil / Eastern Pine Weevil