Black Spruce

Picea mariana

Pinaceae · coniferous tree · native

Last updated March 9, 2026

Quick Facts

Height

30–40 ft

Spread

13 ft

Growth Rate

Slow

Light

Part Shade

Soil

Wet Tolerant

Water

High

Hardiness

Zone Zones 3a–8b

Origin

in northern North America

Cytospora CankerHigh

Spring Canker Activation

Damping-offHigh

Spring Sowing - Preemergence Damping-off Risk

RustHigh

Aecial Stage (Alternate Host)

Cooley spruce gall adelgidHigh

Spring Feeding

+ 3 more — see full disease and pest lists below

Phenological Calendar

Stage	Typical Window	What to Look For
New growth flush BBCH 11	May 15-Jun 15	Lighter-colored new growth visible at branch tips; very short needles on sterigmata (woody pegs)
Pollen release BBCH 61	May 1-May 31	Male strobili releasing pollen (yellow clouds visible on calm mornings); female cones enlarging
Pollen shed complete BBCH 69	May 15-Jun 15	Male strobili fading; female cones actively enlarging
Cone development BBCH 71	Jun 1-Aug 31	Small erect cones enlarging, light brown, very small (2-3 cm) - unique among spruces
Cone maturity and seed shed BBCH 85	Sep 1-ongoing	Cones mature but remain closed on tree for years; semi-serotinous - opened by heat or fire; may release seeds gradually or persist for extended period

Diseases: Regionally Documented (16)

Multiple genera (Melampsoridium, Thekopsora, Naohidemyces... Rust Rhizosphaera Needle Cast Oil Discoloration Of Foliage Botrytis Blight Abiotic or viral Bud Failure Cylindrocarpon spp. (now Ilyonectria spp.) Cylindrocarpon Root Rot Cytospora spp. (Valsa spp., Leucostoma spp.) Cytospora Canker Several soilborne Damping-off Drought Injury Heterobasidion occidentale Otrosina & Garbel Heterobasidion Root Disease Needle Distortion Phytophthora spp. (P Phytophthora Root Rot Phaeolus schweinitzii Schweinitzii root and butt rot Sparassis crispa (syn. S Sparassis Root Rot Fomitopsis officinalis, Porodaedalea pini, and other wood... Stem Decay Diaporthe vaccinii or Diplodia tip blight agents Tip Blight

Pests: Regionally Documented (15)

Elatobium abietinum Spruce aphid Pissodes strobi White pine weevil Oligonychus ununguis Spruce spider mite Coleotechnites piceaella Spruce needleminer Choristoneura fumiferana Spruce budworm Physokermes piceae Spruce bud scale Chionaspis pinifoliae Pine needle scale Orgyia pseudotsugata Douglas-fir tussock moth Adelges cooleyi Cooley spruce gall adelgid Dioryctria spp. Coneworm Cacoecimorpha pronubana Carnation tortrix Hemiberlesia ithacae Hemlock scale Lophocampa argentata Silverspotted tiger moth Cephalcia spp. Western webspinning sawfly Webworm

Cultivars (1)

'Aureovariegata'

Common name: Variegated Black Spruce

Hardy to USDA Zone 3

Data Maturity

Structured Multiple sources. Expert review underway.