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Picea sitchensis

Common name:	Sitka Spruce	Family:	Pinaceae
Author:	(Bong.)Carrière.	Botanical references:	11, 200
Synonyms:	Pinus sitchensis (Bongard.), Picea menziesii ((Douglas.)Carrière.), Abies sitchensis, Abies menziesii (Lindl.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Western N. America - Alaska to N. California.
Habitat:	Moist, sandy, often swampy soils, occasionally on wet rocky slopes in the far north of its range[82]. Alluvial soils from sea level to 300 metres, usually close to the coast[118].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Abies mucronata[G] Abies taxifolia[G] P. sitchnsis[E] Pinus douglasii[G] Pinus taxifolia[G] Pseudotsuga douglasii[G] Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii[B,CPHOTO,CAL,,G,P] Pseudotsuga mucronata[G] Pseudotsuga taxifolia[B,G,P] Pseudotsuga taxifolia var. viridis[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Canada [E], Coast Douglas-fir [FEIS], Douglas Fir [P], Sitka Spruce [L,FEIS,B,H,P,DEN1], Sitkaspar [D],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Pinales. Pine family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Canada(Kwakiutl); Canada(Salish); Eb27:

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 50m by 10m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 7 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower in May, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist or wet soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure. It cannot tolerate atmospheric pollution.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Bog Garden, Woodland, Canopy.

Edible Uses

Condiment; Flowers; Gum; Inner bark; Seed; Seedpod; Tea.

Young shoots - raw[118, 256].
Young male catkins - raw or cooked. Used as a flavouring[172].
Immature female cones - cooked. The central portion, when roasted, is sweet and syrupy[172]. The cones are 6 - 10cm long[82].
Inner bark - raw or cooked[256]. It can be dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or added to cereals when making bread[172]. The inner bark was usually harvested in the spring, though it was also sometimes taken in the summer[256]. An emergency food, it is only used when all else fails.
Seed - raw[172]. The seed is about 2 - 4mm long[229]. It is rich in fats and has a pleasant slightly resinous flavour but is too small and fiddly to be worthwhile unless you are desperate[172, K].
A refreshing tea, rich in vitamin C, can be made from the young shoot tips[172].
A gum obtained from the bark is hardened in cold water and then used for chewing[118, 177, 256]. It should be aged for 3 days or more before using it. The best gum is obtained from the southern side of the tree.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic; Antirheumatic; Antiseptic; Diuretic; Laxative; Ophthalmic; Pectoral; Poultice; Salve; Stomachic.

Sitka spruce was widely employed medicinally by several native North American Indian tribes who used it especially for its antiseptic and pectoral qualities in the treatment of lung complaints, wounds, sores etc[257]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism.
The inner bark is laxative[256, 257]. It has been chewed in the treatment of throat problems, coughs and colds[257].
A decoction of the branch tips and the bark has been used in the treatment of rheumatism, stomach pains, constipation and gonorrhoea[257].
A decoction of the cones has been taken in the treatment of pain[257]. The cones have also been used in steam baths to treat rheumatism[257].
A decoction of the bark has been used as a steam bath in the treatment of back aches[257].
The resin is antiseptic and diuretic[257]. A decoction has been used in the treatment of gonorrhoea[257]. A poultice of the resin has been used as a rub on rheumatic joints[257]. Combined with Indian Hellebore roots (Veratrum viride), it has been used as a poultice on rheumatic joints[257]. The resin has also been used as a dressing or poultice on cuts, broken skin, boils, wounds, infections and suppurating sores[257]. The resin has been chewed as a breath freshener and as a treatment for TB[257].
The gum from new shoots and small branches has been placed in the eyes as a treatment for snow blindness[257].
A decoction of the roots has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea[257].

Other Uses

Adhesive; Basketry; Fuel; Pitch; String; Varnish; Waterproofing; Wood.

The tough and flexible root is used in basket making and as a string[118, 229]. The roots were burnt over an open fire to remove the bark, then they were dried and split to make hats, ropes etc[257]. The main body material of baskets was made from the roots. These were cut into lengths 75 - 90cm long and 12 - 25mm in diameter. Whilst still full of sap and soft, these were split into broad flat bands and these in turn were sub-divided by knife and teeth until the desired size was obtained - a little larger than coarse thread, about like small twine. The vertical rods were made of hazel (Corylus spp) and the overlay was bear grass (Xerophyllum tenax)[257].
The roots were used by several native North American Indian tribes to make tightly woven baskets that would hold water[226].
The limbs and roots can be pounded, shredded and used to make ropes[257].
A pitch is obtained from the tree and is used for caulking boats, waterproofing boxes etc[118, 257].
The rendered pitch has been used as a glue[257]. The pitch can be melted then used as a protective varnish-like coat on wood[257].
Wood - strong according to some reports[171, 229], not strong according to others[1, 11, 46]. The quality of the wood for aircraft construction is unsurpassed, it is remarkably strong yet light and its resistance - weight ratio is among the highest[226]. The wood is elastic, soft, light, straight grained. Equal in quality to P. abies but more quickly produced, the wood is used for shipbuilding, construction, packing cases, doors, posts etc[1, 11, 46, 226]. The wood is also valued for making musical instruments[226] and is widely used in the pulp industry to make paper[171]. The wood is a good fuel, knotted bits of wood would keep the fire burning all night[257].

Cultivation details

Likes abundant moisture at the roots, if grown in drier areas it must be given a deep moist soil[11]. Tolerates poor peaty soils[200]. Succeeds in wet, cold, poor and shallow soils[81]. Trees have succeeded on pure chalk when on a north facing hollow deep in beech woods[200]. Prefers a pH between 4 to 6[200]. Dislikes shade[200]. Intolerant of atmospheric pollution[11]. Very tolerant of exposure[81], resisting salt laden gales[172], though trees are not very wind firm in shallow soils[1].
A long-lived tree, with specimens 700 - 800 years old being recorded[229]. It is slow growing for its first two or three years, though it soon becomes an extremely fast growing tree and is very widely planted for timber in Britain and other temperate areas[11, 17]. Even trees 30 metres tall are increasing in height by 1 metre a year[185]. New growth takes place from May to July or August and some very vigorous trees will produce a second flush of growth until September[185]. Although the dormant tree is very cold-hardy, growth can be severely checked if the trees are growing in a frost hollow, because the young shoots are very susceptible to damage by late frosts[125, 185]. In Britain the best stands are produced in the sheltered valleys of W. Scotland. Trees are unsurpassed for rapid volume wood production in cool wet mountain sites on blanket peat in W. Britain[200]. In areas with cool wet summers (1200mm of rain per year) it makes a huge specimen tree[200].
Trees should be planted into their permanent positions when they are quite small, between 30 and 90cm[1, 200]. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance[200].
In some upland areas, especially over granitic or other base-poor soils, growth rate and health have been seriously affected by aluminium poisoning induced by acid rain[200].
Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows poorly[200]. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus[200]. Many trees do not bear female flowers in most years.
Subject to damage by the green spruce aphid[1], trees are also often attacked by a bark beetle and so should be kept away from more valuable plantings[125]. A biological control for the bark beetle is being introduced (1990)[125].

Propagation

Seed - stratification will probably improve germination so sow fresh seed in the autumn in a cold frame if possible[80]. Sow stored seed as early in the year as possible in a cold frame[78]. A position in light shade is probably best[78]. Seed should not be allowed to dry out and should be stored in a cool place[80]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter. They can be planted out into their permanent positions in early summer of the following year, or be placed in an outdoor nursery bed for a year or so to increase in size. They might need protection from spring frosts.
Cuttings of semi-ripe terminal shoots, 5 - 8cm long, August in a frame. Protect from frost. Forms roots in the spring[78].
Cuttings of mature terminal shoots, 5 - 10cm long, September/October in a cold frame. Takes 12 months[78].
Cuttings of soft to semi-ripe wood, early summer in a frame. Slow but sure.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[L] Scientific and Common Names (some photos) from Lepidoptera and some other life forms
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for Picea sitchnsis (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for the family Pinaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[80] McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985 ISBN 0-901361-21-6
Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.

[81] Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X
Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[118] Gunther. E. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press 1981 ISBN 0-295-95258-X
A small book, it is a good guide to useful plants in Western N. America.

[125] ? The Plantsman. Vol. 5. 1983 - 1984. Royal Horticultural Society 1983
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants..

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[185] Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975 ISBN 0-11-710012-9
A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[226] Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989 ISBN 0889025649
Very good on identification for non-experts, the book also has a lot of information on plant uses.

[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.

[256] Turner. N. J. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples UBC Press. Vancouver. 1995 ISBN 0-7748-0533-1
Excellent little handbook about the native food plants of Western Canada. Good descriptions of the plants and their uses with colour photos of most plants.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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