Spruce

conifer · evergreen · forest · cold climate

Cone-bearing champions. Spruces are coniferous trees, meaning they produce seeds inside tough, woody cones instead of flowers and fruits like other trees. These cones hang down from branches like little ornaments.

Cold-climate lovers. Spruce trees grow in the chilly boreal forests and northern temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where winters are long and harsh. Their needle-like leaves stay green all year, even under snow.

Big spruce family. There are about 37 different species of spruce trees in the genus Picea, each adapted to slightly different environments across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Perfect Christmas trees. Many spruce species are popular choices for Christmas trees because of their symmetrical shape, pleasant smell, and ability to hold their needles long after being cut.

Evergreen all year. Unlike trees that lose their leaves in fall, spruces keep their needle-like leaves throughout the entire year, staying green and alive even in freezing winter weather.