Spruce

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Spruce

A spruce is a tree

TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
trees in the Family Pinaceae
Pinaceae

The family Pinaceae , is in the order Pinales and includes many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as cedars, firs, Tsugas, larches, pines and spruces....
, found in the northern temperate
Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold....
and boreal
Boreal

Boreal may refer to*Northern, from Boreas, god of the North Wind in Greek mythology*Boreal climate, the climate found in a region of boreal forests, and designated Dfc, Dwc or Dsc in the K?ppen climate classification scheme....
(taiga
Taiga

Taiga is a biome characterized by coniferous forests. Covering most of inland Alaska, Canada, Sweden, Finland, inland Norway and Russia , as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States , northern Kazakhstan and Japan , the taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome....
) regions of the earth.

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Encyclopedia

A spruce is a tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
trees in the Family Pinaceae
Pinaceae

The family Pinaceae , is in the order Pinales and includes many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as cedars, firs, Tsugas, larches, pines and spruces....
, found in the northern temperate
Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold....
and boreal
Boreal

Boreal may refer to*Northern, from Boreas, god of the North Wind in Greek mythology*Boreal climate, the climate found in a region of boreal forests, and designated Dfc, Dwc or Dsc in the K?ppen climate classification scheme....
(taiga
Taiga

Taiga is a biome characterized by coniferous forests. Covering most of inland Alaska, Canada, Sweden, Finland, inland Norway and Russia , as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States , northern Kazakhstan and Japan , the taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome....
) regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from 20–60 (–95) m tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorl
Whorl

Whorl is a type of spiral pattern.Other meanings of whorl include:* Whorl , a single, complete 360? turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell...
ed branches and conical
Cone (geometry)

A cone is a dimension geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat, round base to a point called the apex or vertex. More precisely, it is the solid figure bounded by a plane base and the surface formed by the locus of all straight line segments joining the apex to the perimeter of the base....
form. The needles, or leaves, of spruce trees are attached singly to the branches in a spiral fashion, each needle on a small peg-like structure called a pulvinus
Pulvinus

A pulvinus is a joint-like thickening at the base of a plant leaf or leaflet that facilitates Nyctinasty and Thigmonasty movements. It consists of a core of vascular tissue within a flexible, bulky cylinder of thin-walled parenchyma cells....
. The needles are shed when 4–10 years old, leaving the branches rough with the retained pulvinus (an easy means of distinguishing them from other similar genera, where the branches are fairly smooth).

Spruces are used as food plants by the larva
Larva

A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is an order of insect that includes moths and butterfly. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterfly, skipper , and Hedylidae....
species; see list of Lepidoptera that feed on spruces. They are also used as sex plants by Gall Adelgid
Gall Adelgid

Gall adelgid refers to Adelgidae species that produce galls in Spruce, Pinophyta species. Such galls can be produced by an infection by Adelges cooleyi , a species of aphid-like Eriosomatidae adelgids ....
s (Adelges species).

The word "spruce" derives from an obsolete term for Prussia
Prussia (region)

Prussia is a Historical regions of Central Europe in Central Europe extending from the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea to the Masurian Lake District....
.

Scientists have found a cluster of Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce

Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is a large evergreen coniferous tree growing to 35-55 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 1-1.5 m....
in the mountains in western Sweden
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
, nicknamed Old Tjikko
Old Tjikko

Old Tjikko is a Norway spruce and, at 9,550 years old, the world's oldest known individual vegetative cloning tree. It stands tall and is located on Fulu Mountain of Dalarna province in Sweden....
, which at an age of 9,550 years are the world's oldest known living trees.

Classification
1 Cones with thickish scales; leaves quadrangular in cross-section: section Picea
1a Cones with (mostly) pointed scales; leaves blunt or somewhat pointed
Picea abies Norway Spruce. Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
; important in forestry
Forestry

Forestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. Silviculture, a related science, involves the growing and tending of trees and forests....
. The original Christmas tree
Christmas tree

File:Christmas Tree.JPGThe Christmas tree is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. Normally an evergreen Pinophyta tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, a Christmas tree is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful Christmas ornaments during the days around Christmas....
.
Picea asperata Dragon Spruce. Western China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
; several varieties.
Picea koraiensis Korean Spruce. Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
, northeast China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
.
Picea koyamae Koyama's Spruce. Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
(mountains).
Picea meyeri Meyer's Spruce.

1b Cones with smoothly rounded scales; leaves blunt or somewhat pointed
Picea orientalis Caucasian Spruce or Oriental Spruce . Caucasus
Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region located between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is home to Europe's highest mountain ....
, northeast Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
.
Picea morrisonicola
Picea morrisonicola

Picea morrisonicola is a species of conifer in the Pinaceae family.It is found only in Taiwan.It is threatened by habitat loss....
Yushan Spruce . Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
(high mountains).
Picea wilsonii
Picea wilsonii

Picea wilsonii is a species of conifer in the Pinaceae family.It is found only in China....
Wilson's Spruce . Western China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
.
Picea obovata Siberian Spruce. North Scandinavia
Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical subregion in northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; some authorities also include Finland and some might even include Iceland....
, Siberia
Siberia

Siberia , is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of North Asia and for the most part currently serving as the massive central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, having served in the same capacity previously for the Soviet Union from its beginning, and the Russian Empire beginning in the 16th century....
. Often treated as a variant of P. abies (and hybridises with it) but distinct cones.
Picea schrenkiana Schrenk's Spruce. Mountains of central Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
.
Picea smithiana Morinda Spruce. Western Himalaya.
Picea alpestris Norway Spruce, Alpine Spruce. The Alps
Alps

The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
; rare, often treated as a variant of P. abies (and hybridises with it) distinct cones.

1c Cones with smoothly rounded scales; leaves viciously sharp-pointed
Picea maximowiczii
Picea maximowiczii

Japanese Bush Spruce is a species of conifer in the Pinaceae family. It is endemic to Japan; its range is limited to Mount Fuji and the Yatsugatake Mountains on Honshu....
Maximowicz Spruce. Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
(rare, mountains).
Picea torano Tiger-tail Spruce. Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
.
Picea neoveitchii
Picea neoveitchii

Picea neoveitchii is a species of conifer in the Pinaceae family.It is found only in China.It is threatened by habitat loss....
Veitch's Spruce. Northwest China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
(rare, endangered).
Picea martinezii Martinez Spruce. Northeast Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
(very rare, endangered).
Picea chihuahuana Chihuahua Spruce. Northwest Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
(rare).

2 Cones with thickish wavy scales, leaves slightly to strongly flattened: section Omorika

2a Cones mostly with rounded scales; leaves flattened in section, white below

Picea breweriana Brewer's Spruce. Klamath Mountains
Klamath Mountains

The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinty Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States....
, North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
; local endemic
Endemic (ecology)

Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a particular geographic location, such as a specific island, Habitat type, nation, or other defined zone....
.
Picea brachytyla
Picea brachytyla

Picea brachytyla is a species of conifer in the Pinaceae family.It is found only in China.It is threatened by habitat loss....
Sargent's Spruce. Southwest China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
.
Picea farreri
Picea farreri

Picea farreri is a species of conifer in the Pinaceae family.It is found in possibly China and Myanmar. The only confirmed occurrence is in the Fen-Shui-Ling Valley on the Myanmar-China border....
Burmese Spruce. Northeast Burma, southwest China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
(mountains).
Picea omorika Serbian Spruce. Serbia
Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country in Central Europe and Balkans Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans....
; local endemic
Endemic (ecology)

Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a particular geographic location, such as a specific island, Habitat type, nation, or other defined zone....
; important in horticulture.

2b Cones mostly with wavy scales; leaves slightly flattened in section, often paler below

Picea mariana Black Spruce. Northern North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
.
Picea rubens Red Spruce. Northeastern North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
; important in forestry
Forestry

Forestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. Silviculture, a related science, involves the growing and tending of trees and forests....
.
Picea glehnii
Picea glehnii

Picea glehnii is a species of conifer in the Pinaceae family.It is found in Japan and Russia....
Glehn's Spruce. Northern Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, Sakhalin
Sakhalin

Sakhalin , also Saghalien, is a large elongated island in the North Pacific, lying between 45?50' and 54?24' N. It is part of Russia and is its largest island, administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast....
.
Picea alcockiana ("P. bicolor") Alcock's Spruce. Central Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
(mountains).
Picea purpurea
Picea purpurea

Picea purpurea is a species of conifer in the Pinaceae family.It is found only in China....
Purple Spruce. Western China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
.
Picea balfouriana Balfour's Spruce. Western China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
.
Picea likiangensis
Picea likiangensis

Picea likiangensis is a species of conifer in the Pinaceae family.It is found in Bhutan and China....
Likiang Spruce. Southwest China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
.
Picea spinulosa Sikkim Spruce. Eastern Himalaya.

3 Cones with very thin, wavy scales: section 'Casicta'

Picea glauca White Spruce. Northern North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
; important in forestry
Forestry

Forestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. Silviculture, a related science, involves the growing and tending of trees and forests....
.
Picea engelmannii Engelmann Spruce. Western North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
n mountains; important in forestry
Forestry

Forestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. Silviculture, a related science, involves the growing and tending of trees and forests....
.
Picea sitchensis Sitka Spruce. Pacific Coast of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
; the largest species, to 95m tall; important in forestry
Forestry

Forestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. Silviculture, a related science, involves the growing and tending of trees and forests....
.
Picea jezoensis Jezo Spruce. Northeast Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, Kamchatka
Kamchatka Peninsula

The Kamchatka Peninsula is a 1,250-kilometer long peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of 472,300 km?. It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west....
south to Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
.
Picea pungens Blue Spruce or Colorado Spruce. Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometre from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States....
, North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
; important in horticulture.

Uses

Spruces is one of the most important woods for paper

Paper

Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
manufacture, as it has long wood fibres which bind together to make strong paper. Spruces are cultivated over vast areas for this purpose.

Spruces are also popular ornamental trees in horticulture

Horticulture

'Horticulture' is the industry and science of plant cultivation. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, Crop , plant breeding and genetic engineering, plant biochemistry, and plant physiology....
, admired for their evergreen, symmetrical narrow-conic growth habit. For the same reason, some (particularly Picea abies and P. omorika) are also extensively used as Christmas tree

Christmas tree

File:Christmas Tree.JPGThe Christmas tree is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. Normally an evergreen Pinophyta tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, a Christmas tree is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful Christmas ornaments during the days around Christmas....
s.

Spruce wood

Wood

Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs, etc....
, often called whitewood, is used for many purposes, ranging from general construction work and crates to highly specialised uses in wooden aircraft and many musical instruments, including guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
s, mandolin

Mandolin

A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It is descended from the Mandora, a soprano member of the lute family. It has a body with a teardrop-shaped soundboard, or one which is essentially oval in shape, with a soundhole, or soundholes, of varying shapes which are open and are not decorated with an intricately carved grille lik...
s, cello

Cello

The violoncello is a bowed string instrument. A person who plays a cello is called a cellist. The cello is used as a solo instrument, in chamber music, and as a member of the string section of an orchestra....
s, violin

Violin

The violin is a Bow string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
s, and the soundboard

Sounding board

The sounding board or soundboard is the part of a string instrument that transmits the vibrations of the strings to the air, greatly increasing the loudness of sound over that of the string alone....
at the heart of a piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
. The Wright Brothers

Wright brothers

The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two United States who are generally credited with inventing and building the world's first successful fixed-wing aircraft and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air Flight#Mechanical flight, on December 17, 1903....
' first aircraft was built of spruce.

Because this species has no insect or decay resistance qualities after logging, it is generally recommended for construction purposes as indoor use only (ex. indoor drywall framing).

This wood left outside can not be expected to last more than 12-18 months depending on the type of climate it is exposed to. It is commonly referred to as several different names which include North American timber, SPF (spruce, pine, fir) and whitewood

Whitewood

Whitewood can be:*The wood of spruce trees.*A species of Coccoloba, Coccoloba krugii*An endemic tree from the island of St Helena, Petrobium...
.

The resin

Resin

Resin is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly Pinophyta. It is valued for its chemical constituents and uses, such as varnishes and adhesives, as an important source of raw materials for organic synthesis, or for incense and perfume....
was used in the manufacture of pitch

Pitch (resin)

Pitch is the name for any of a number of highly viscosity liquids which appear solid. Pitch can be made from petroleum products or plants. Petroleum-derived pitch is also called bitumen....
in the past (before the use of petrochemical

Petrochemical

Petrochemicals are chemical products made from raw materials of petroleum or other hydrocarbon origin. Although some of the chemical compounds that originate from petroleum may also be derived from coal and natural gas, petroleum is the major source....
s); the scientific name Picea is generally thought to be derived from Latin pix, pitch (though other etymologies have been suggested).

The leaves and branches, or the essential oils, can be used to brew spruce beer

Spruce beer

Spruce beer is a beverage flavored with the buds, needles, or essence of spruce trees. Spruce has been a traditional flavoring ingredient throughout the upper latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere where it is found, often substituting for ingredients otherwise not available, such as hops....
. The tips from the needles can be used to make spruce tip syrup. Native Americans in eastern North America

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
once used the thin, pliable roots of some species for weaving basket

Basket

A basket is a container which is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers, often made of willow. . The top is either left open or the basket may be fitted with a lid....
s and for sewing together pieces of birch

Birch

Birch is the name of any tree of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae....
bark for canoe

Canoe

A canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes usually are pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be covered....
s. See also Kiidk'yaas

Kiidk'yaas

Kiidk'yaas or Kiid K'iyaas , also referred to as the Golden Spruce, was a Sitka Spruce tree, Picea sitchensis 'Aurea', that grew on the banks of the Yakoun River in Haida Gwaii , British Columbia....
for an unusual golden Sitka Spruce sacred to the Haida

Haida

The Haida are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. The Haida territories comprise the archipelago of the Queen Charlotte Islands, known in the Haida language as Haida Gwaii , and the southern half of Prince of Wales Island in the southernmost Alaska Panhandle, which is the home of a subgroup called the '...
people. Native Americans in New England also used the sap to make a gum which was used for various reasons, and which was the basis of the first commercial production of chewing gum

Chewing gum

Chewing gum is a type of confection traditionally made of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber. For reasons of economy and quality, many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle....
.

In survival situations spruce needles can be directly ingested or boiled into a tea. This replaces large amounts of vitamin C. Also, water is stored in a spruce's needles, providing an alternative means of hydration. Spruce can be used as a preventative measure for scurvy

Scurvy

Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus....
in an environment where meat is the only prominent food source.

Spruce branches are also used at Aintree racecourse, Liverpool, to build several of the fences on the Grand National course.

External links

Cones of selected species (page 1)
Cones of selected species (page 2)