herbarium - taxones por familias

Pinaceae

Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton et al. (Pinaceae)
Abies mariana Mill.

Millspaugh, C.F., Medicinal plants (1892) plantgenera.org

Descripción: Árbol monoico, perennifolio. Hojas alternas, aciculares, con 2 bandas estomáticas en el envés. Estróbilos masculinos elípticos. Estróbilos femeninos péndulos, escamas persistentes, oblongas. Semillas 2 por escama, aladas.

Picea mariana (P. Mill.) B.S.P.

black spruce

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New England Distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America Distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Facts About

Black spruce grows primarily in bogs and swampy peatlands in New England. Its cones stay on the tree for several years, gradually releasing seed and extending the crop. Near treeline, black spruce also reproduces by layering, aprocess in which prostrate branches root and give rise to new trees. Snowshoe hares nibble seedlings and saplings, and the cones are favorites with red squirrels. Pine grosbeak, pine siskin, and crossbills also eat the seeds. Black spruce is the most economically important source of pulpwood in Canada and parts of northern New England.

Habitat

Alpine or subalpine zones, bogs, forests, mountain summits and plateaus

Characteristics

Habitat

terrestrial

New England state

• Connecticut
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• Rhode Island
• Vermont

Growth form

the plant is a tree

Leaf form

the leaves are needle-like

Leaf cross-section

the needle-like leaves are rounded, or flattened on one side (can be rolled between the fingers)

Leaf arrangement

there is one needle-like leaf per node

Seed cone form

the seed cone is longer than wide, with woody scales attached at the base

Leaf clustering

the needle-like leaves are single, with one per node

Leaves overlapping

the needle-like leaves are separate and do not hide the twig surface

Show All Characteristics

Wetland Status

Occurs in wetlands, but also in non-wetlands more than occasionally. (Wetland indicator code: FACW-)

New England Distribution and Conservation Status

Distribution

Connecticut

present

Maine

present

Massachusetts

present

New Hampshire

present

Rhode Island

present

Vermont

present

Conservation Status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Connecticut

fairly widespread (S-rank: S4)

Massachusetts

unranked (S-rank: SNR)

Rhode Island

rare (S-rank: S2), concern (code: C)

var. mariana

Massachusetts

unranked (S-rank: SNR)

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes Confused With

Picea glauca:

branchlets that lack hairs and have a thin layer of bloom andseed cone scales that are entirealong the apical margin (vs. P. mariana, with minutely hairy branchlets that lack bloom andseed cone scales minute teeth along the apical margin). Picea rubens: branchlets minutely hairy but none of the hairs terminated by a gland and leaves somewhat shiny and without a bloom (vs. P. mariana, with branchlets minutely hairy, some of the hairs with a gland at the apex, and leaves not shiny and with a bloom).

Synonyms

• Picea nigra (Ait.) Link
• Pinus mariana P. Mill.

Family

Pinaceae

Genus

Picea

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Information from Dichotomous Key of Flora Novae Angliae

3.  Picea mariana (P. Mill.) B.S.P. N

black spruce. Picea nigra (Ait.) Link; Pinus mariana P. Mill. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Growing in peat of bogs and folists on high mountain slopes and plateaus.

3×4. Picea mariana × Picea rubens → This nothospecies is frequent in areas of sympatry between the parental taxa. Such areas include the higher mountains of New England and coniferous forests that are adjacent to acidic peatlands. Hybrids are best recognized by intermediate morphology, but some studies suggest that extensive backcrossing has occurred, causing some hybrid-derived individuals to look more similar to one or the other parent.