Picea rubens

Red spruce is a member of the pine or Pinaceae family and is native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, New England in the Adirondack Mountains and in Appalachians to western North Carolina. It generally grows up to 40 m tall and 60 cm in diameter.

Red spruce is closely related to black spruce, and hybridizes with it where their ranges overlap. Shape of cones and needles are quite similar.

• Leaves are needle-like, short, up to 2 cm in length and 4-sided with a sharp point, extending all around the twig.
• Cones are pendulous, non-fragmenting, ovoid, 3–5 cm long, purplish, turning orange-brown, scales broadly fan-shaped, broadest and irregularly toothed near apex.
• Buds reddish brown, 5–8 mm, pointed; bark is gray-brown, smaller scales.