Colorado State Tree: Colorado Blue Spruce

The Colorado Blue Spruce holds the designation of Colorado's official state tree. This conifer typically reaches 50 to 75 feet tall, though exceptional specimens grow up to 150 feet. The tallest documented Blue Spruce stands 180 feet high in Colorado's San Juan Mountains. Individual trees live between 150 and 600 years.

The tree's most striking feature is its needle color. A waxy coating creates the distinctive blue-silver appearance that gives the tree its name. Sometimes called the Silver Spruce, these trees display stiff, sharp needles measuring about one inch long. The needles radiate in all directions around the branch.

Blue Spruce bark appears gray to reddish-brown with deep furrows on mature trees. The tree maintains a pyramidal shape with layered branches. This symmetrical form made Blue Spruce popular for ornamental planting across America.

The common names include Colorado Blue Spruce, Blue Spruce, Colorado Spruce, and Silver Spruce. The scientific name is Picea pungens. The species name pungens means 'sharp' in Latin, referring to the tree's stiff, pointed needles.

Dr. Charles Christopher Parry identified this species during an 1862 expedition to Pikes Peak. Botanist George Engelmann named the species in 1879. Some early references called it Water Spruce because it grows along mountain streams.

The Colorado General Assembly proclaimed the Blue Spruce as the official state tree on March 7, 1939. This came 47 years after Colorado's school children voted for it on Arbor Day in 1892. Students chose the Blue Spruce over white fir by more than two to one, echoing how school votes also shaped the Colorado state flower.

Denver teacher George L. Cannon Jr. established selection criteria. The tree should grow in Colorado's mountains, represent the mountain landscape, be familiar to residents, possess practical value, and display beauty. The Blue Spruce met every requirement. Various pines and firs received scattered support, but Blue Spruce won decisively.

The tree's unique blue-silver color and pyramidal form made it distinctive. Blue Spruce grows naturally only in the Rocky Mountain region. By the 1930s, it had become popular as an ornamental species nationwide, spreading Colorado's character beyond state borders. The nearly five-decade delay between the children's vote and legislative approval remains unexplained.

Colorado's state flower is the Rocky Mountain Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea), designated on April 4, 1899. School children chose the white and lavender columbine in 1891. Both symbols emerged from democratic student votes. The columbine blooms from May through July in Colorado's mountains, complementing the year-round evergreen Blue Spruce and the official state bird.

The Blue Spruce's most distinctive feature is its needle color. Look for silvery-blue or blue-gray coating on the needles. Some trees appear more green, while others show intense silver-white coloring. The needles feel stiff and sharp, measuring about one inch long and radiating in all directions.

The tree forms a perfect pyramid shape. Branches grow in distinct horizontal layers. Young trees maintain lower branches, creating a full profile. Bark appears gray with reddish-brown undertones. Young bark has small scales, while mature bark develops deep vertical furrows.

The Colorado Blue Spruce reflects high-elevation hardiness. Its selection through a student vote emphasizes the student-led selection process. The tree's ability to thrive at high elevations represents Colorado's toughness and pioneering spirit. Its blue-silver color evokes Colorado's mountain skies and snow-covered peaks associated with The Centennial State. As an ornamental species planted nationwide, the Blue Spruce is an ambassador for Colorado.