Picea mariana

Black spruce, like white spruce (P. glauca) is a member of the pine or Pinaceae family and is widespread across Canada, found in all 10 provinces and all 3 Arctic territories, also being plentiful in the interior regions of Alaska. It grows more on the extreme sites, from swamp and muskeg to areas of rock and poor soil on the Canadian Shield, reaching up to 25 m tall.

• Leaves are needle-like, 4-sided, blunt, stiff and 6–13 mm long, shorter than those of white spruce, in fact, one of the shorter spruce needles. Needles are mounted on short stems (sterigmata).
• Cones are the smallest of the spruces, ovoid, 2–3 cm long, dark purplish brown when young; scales are fan-shaped, broadest and irregularly toothed near apex. The cones may persist on the tree for many years, slowly opening over time. Shape resembles those of Red spruce (P. rubens) from eastern Canada.
• Bark is thin, gray-brown, with irregular scales.