How to Identify and Classify Spruce Trees
  • 1. What is the genus name for spruce trees?
A) Picea
B) Larix
C) Pinus
D) Abies
  • 2. Spruce needles are typically what shape?
A) Flat
B) Four-sided (quadrangular)
C) Scale-like
D) Round
  • 3. How are spruce needles attached to the twig?
A) With a sheath
B) In bundles
C) On woody pegs (sterigmata)
D) Directly to the twig
  • 4. Spruce cones typically hang in which direction?
A) Upward
B) At an angle
C) Horizontal
D) Downward
  • 5. Which of the following is a key characteristic of spruce cones?
A) They disintegrate on the tree
B) They release their scales individually
C) They remain on the tree for many years
D) They fall intact from the tree
  • 6. What is the color of needles for the blue spruce?
A) Bluish-green to silvery-blue
B) Dark green
C) Yellowish-green
D) Light green
  • 7. The scientific name for blue spruce is?
A) Picea mariana
B) Picea pungens
C) Picea rubens
D) Picea abies
  • 8. Which spruce species is known for its drooping branchlets?
A) White Spruce
B) Black Spruce
C) Norway Spruce
D) Colorado Blue Spruce
  • 9. The scientific name for Norway spruce is?
A) Picea mariana
B) Picea abies
C) Picea glauca
D) Picea sitchensis
  • 10. Which spruce is often found in boggy or swampy areas?
A) Black Spruce
B) Serbian Spruce
C) Red Spruce
D) White Spruce
  • 11. The scientific name for Black spruce is?
A) Picea mariana
B) Picea pungens
C) Picea omorika
D) Picea rubens
  • 12. What is a common characteristic of Red Spruce cones?
A) Green color
B) Dark purple color
C) Bright blue color
D) Reddish-brown color
  • 13. The scientific name for Red spruce is?
A) Picea abies
B) Picea sitchensis
C) Picea rubens
D) Picea engelmannii
  • 14. Which spruce has a strong, unpleasant odor when the needles are crushed?
A) Blue Spruce
B) White Spruce
C) Norway Spruce
D) Red Spruce
  • 15. The scientific name for White spruce is?
A) Picea glauca
B) Picea omorika
C) Picea mariana
D) Picea pungens
  • 16. Which spruce is native to the Pacific Northwest and is the largest spruce species?
A) Red Spruce
B) Sitka Spruce
C) Engelmann Spruce
D) White Spruce
  • 17. The scientific name for Sitka spruce is?
A) Picea rubens
B) Picea abies
C) Picea sitchensis
D) Picea mariana
  • 18. Engelmann Spruce is commonly found in which type of environment?
A) Swamps
B) Coastal regions
C) Deserts
D) High elevations
  • 19. The scientific name for Engelmann spruce is?
A) Picea sitchensis
B) Picea abies
C) Picea glauca
D) Picea engelmannii
  • 20. What is the growth habit of Serbian Spruce?
A) Weeping
B) Broad and spreading
C) Rounded
D) Narrow and columnar
  • 21. The scientific name for Serbian spruce is?
A) Picea omorika
B) Picea abies
C) Picea pungens
D) Picea mariana
  • 22. What does 'glauca' mean in botanical Latin?
A) White
B) Bluish-green
C) Reddish
D) Black
  • 23. What does 'pungens' mean in botanical Latin?
A) Drooping
B) Fragrant
C) Sharp-pointed
D) Small
  • 24. The presence of glaucous (bluish-white) bloom on needles helps identify which tree?
A) White Spruce
B) Blue Spruce
C) Red Spruce
D) Black Spruce
  • 25. Which is not a characteristic that helps identify trees?
A) Soil pH
B) Bark Pattern
C) Cone Type
D) Needle Shape
  • 26. What does 'sterigmata' refer to in spruce identification?
A) Cone scales
B) Branchlets
C) Woody pegs where needles attach
D) Bark ridges
  • 27. Which spruce has needles that are flattened in cross-section?
A) Red Spruce
B) Blue Spruce
C) None, spruce needles are typically 4-sided
D) White Spruce
  • 28. What bark color is commonly associated with mature Black Spruce?
A) Light gray
B) Whitish
C) Dark gray-brown
D) Bright red
  • 29. Which of these spruces is considered more shade-tolerant?
A) Blue Spruce
B) Sitka Spruce
C) White Spruce
D) Red Spruce
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