Picea glauca

White spruce is a member of the pine or Pinaceae family and has a natural range that covers much of the Yukon and Alaska (excluding the temperate coastal areas) and extending over much of the rest of Canada right through to Nova Scotia. It is truly an almost ubiquitous Canadian species.

Its range extensively overlaps with Engelmann spruce (P. engelmannii) in the west and black spruce (P. mariana) in many areas all across Canada.

• Leaves are needle-like, 4-angled in cross-section, sharp-pointed, resembling those of Engelmann spruce (although not quite as sharp pointed and slightly shorter (12–20 mm)). Needles are on short, woody pegs (sterigmata, or pulvini).
• Cones are pendulous, non-fragmenting and distinct from the other overlapping spruces, being thin and cylindrical, 3–7 cm long , 1.5 cm broad, opening to 2.5 cm, with scales with smoothly rounded margins.
• Bark is thin and scaly, flaking off in small circular plates 5–10 cm across.