What is the Difference Between Colorado Blue Spruce and Black Hills Spruce

Colorado Blue Spruce and Black Hills Spruce are two popular evergreen trees often used in landscaping, windbreaks, and as Christmas trees. But they have some clear differences in color, growth rate, hardiness, and care needs.

What is the difference between Colorado Blue Spruce and Black Hills Spruce? Colorado Blue Spruce has longer, sharply pointed needles with a blue-green color, whereas Black Hills Spruce has shorter, greener needles.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Colorado Blue Spruce 
     – Definition, Features
2. What is Black Hills Spruce
     – Definition, Features
3. Similarities Between Colorado Blue Spruce and Black Hills Spruce
     – Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Colorado Blue Spruce and Black Hills Spruce
     – Comparison of Key Differences
5. FAQ: Colorado Blue Spruce and Black Hills Spruce
     – Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Key Terms

Colorado Blue Spruce, Black Hills Spruce

What is Colorado Blue Spruce

The Colorado blue spruce (blue spruce or Colorado spruce) is a type of tree native to North America, especially in states like Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming. As its name suggests, it has blue-green needles.

In the wild, blue spruce trees can grow very tall, up to 50 meters. But when planted in gardens, they usually reach about 9 to 18 meters. The tree has gray-brown bark with a hint of red, and as it gets older, the bark becomes rougher and more deeply grooved.

Young blue spruce trees have a pyramid or cone shape. But as they age, they can look more open and uneven. Their branches grow outward in neat layers, though the lower branches often start to droop with age. The small twigs on young trees are yellow-brown and stick straight out.

The tree’s needles are narrow, stiff, and very pointy. They can look dull green, blue, or even pale white and are about 1.6 to 3 centimeters long. The golden-brown buds at the tips are cone-shaped and can be blunt or sharp. Moreover, Colorado blue spruce thrives in cool, humid climates, especially where most rainfall happens in the summer.

What is Black Hills Spruce

The Black Hills spruce is a type of spruce tree named after the Black Hills region of South Dakota, where it naturally grows. It’s actually a variety of the white spruce. It has a dense, symmetrical shape. Because of its neat, full appearance, people often plant it in landscapes, use it as a windbreak, or grow it as a Christmas tree.

Compared to the Colorado blue spruce, the Black Hills spruce grows more slowly, has shorter needles, and is more drought-tolerant. It’s also tougher in winter and tends to have fewer problems with insects or diseases.

At maturity, the Black Hills spruce usually grows to about 25 to 45 feet tall, though after 20 years it’s often between 15 and 30 feet tall. The tree’s needles are small and sharp, about 1/3 to 3/4 inch long and only 1/16 inch wide. They are attached individually to small peg-like parts called sterigmata. The needles are green, sometimes slightly bluish (glaucous), with tiny lines (called stomatal lines) running along them.

Similarities Between Colorado Blue Spruce and Black Hills Spruce

1. They are evergreen conifers that keep their needles year-round.
2. Both have a pyramidal or conical shape when young.
3. Both are used for landscaping, windbreaks, and as Christmas trees.
4. They can grow to a mature height of about 25 to 45 feet.
5. Both have short, stiff needles attached individually on small peg-like projections (sterigmata).

Difference Between Colorado Blue Spruce and Black Hills Spruce

Definition

• Colorado Blue Spruce is an evergreen conifer that comes from the Rocky Mountain areas like Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico, whereas Black Hills Spruce is an evergreen conifer that comes from the Black Hills region of South Dakota and is a variety of white spruce.

Growth Rate and Size

• Colorado Blue Spruce grows faster, whereas Black Hills Spruce grows more slowly.

Needle Length and Color

• Colorado Blue Spruce has longer, sharply pointed needles with a blue-green color, whereas Black Hills Spruce has shorter, greener needles, sometimes with a slight bluish tint.

Shape

• Colorado Blue Spruce has a pyramidal or conical shape when young, becoming more open as it ages, while Black Hills Spruce keeps a dense, symmetrical shape.

Drought and Winter Hardiness

• Colorado Blue Spruce is less drought-tolerant and more prone to diseases like needle cast and cankers, while Black Hills Spruce is more drought-resistant, more winter-hardy, and has fewer insect and disease problems.

Care Needs

• Colorado Blue Spruce may need more care because it’s more sensitive to poor soil, heat, and humidity, while Black Hills Spruce is easier to care for and does well even in harsher conditions.

FAQ: Colorado Blue Spruce and Black Hills Spruce

1. What is the difference between a blue spruce and a black spruce?

The main difference is that blue spruce has blue-green needles, while black spruce has dark green needles and usually grows in colder, wet areas like forests and swamps.

2. How to identify a Black Hills Spruce?

You can identify a Black Hills Spruce by its dense, cone-shaped form, short green needles (sometimes with a slight bluish tint), and its slow, steady growth. It’s often used in landscaping because it stays neat and full.

3. Is there a difference between a blue spruce and a Colorado blue spruce?

No, there’s no difference between a blue spruce and a Colorado blue spruce. Blue spruce and Colorado blue spruce are two names for the same tree.

4. What is the brightest blue spruce?

The Colorado blue spruce is known as the brightest and most colorful blue spruce, especially some varieties like ‘Hoopsii’ or ‘Baby Blue Eyes,’ which have very strong blue-colored needles.

Reference:

1. “Blue Spruce.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation.
2. “Black Hills Spruce.” Tree Information Center. North Dakota State University.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Picea pungens tree” By USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Herman, D.E. et al. 1996. North Dakota tree handbook. USDA NRCS ND State Soil Conservation Committee; NDSU Extension and Western Area Power Admin., Bismarck, ND. – (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

2. “Black Hills Spruce, South Dakota State Tree” By F. D. Richards (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr