Colorado Spruce

Picea pungens

Pinaceae · coniferous tree · native

Last updated March 9, 2026

Data Coverage 4 of 6 dimensions

Site Data

Threats

Cultivars

Phenology

GDD Thresholds

Puget Sound

Picea pungens (Pinaceae) is an evergreen conifer native to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. It grows to 75 feet tall with a dense, pyramidal form and stiff, sharp needles that range from green to silvery blue depending on provenance and cultivar. The species name "pungens" refers to the painfully sharp needle tips.

Colorado spruce tolerates drought, alkaline soils, and cold better than most spruces. It grows in full sun. Blue-foliaged selections are widely planted as ornamental specimens. In humid climates, the species is prone to Rhizosphaera needle cast and Cytospora canker, which can severely disfigure mature trees. Spider mites are also problematic in warm, dry conditions. Hardy in Zones 3a to 8b.

Quick Facts

Height

75 ft

Spread

16 ft

Growth Rate

Slow

Light

Sun to Part Shade

Soil

Well Drained

Water

Moderate

Hardiness

Zone Zones 3a–8b

Bloom Time

Non-flowering

Origin

the Rocky Mountains; Colorado, Wyoming to New Mexico

Phenological Calendar

Stage	Typical Window	What to Look For
New growth flush BBCH 11	Feb 15-Mar 15	Lighter-colored new growth visible at branch tips
Bloom start BBCH 61	May 1-May 31	First open flowers visible; flowers yellow
Bloom end / petal fall BBCH 69	May 15-Jun 15	Last petals falling; flower structures fading
Fruit/seed development BBCH 71	Jun 1-Aug 31	Fruit or seed structures forming; fruit color: brown
Fruit/seed maturity BBCH 85	Sep 1-Nov 30	Fruit fully colored and ripened; seed dispersal may begin

Diseases (16)

Thekopsora minima and Naohidemyces vaccinii Rust Nothophaeocryptopus gaeumannii Rhizosphaera Needle Cast abiotic (spray oil residue) Oil Discoloration Of Foliage Botrytis cinerea Botrytis Blight Abiotic or viral Bud Failure Cylindrocarpon spp. (now Ilyonectria spp.) Cylindrocarpon Root Rot Cytospora canker Cytospora Canker Several soilborne Damping-off Many conifers Drought Injury Heterobasidion annosum Heterobasidion Root Disease [VERIFY] Needle Distortion Phytophthora spp. (P Phytophthora Root Rot Phaeolus schweinitzii Schweinitzii root and butt rot Sparassis crispa (syn. S Sparassis Root Rot Stem decay Stem Decay Diaporthe vaccinii or Diplodia tip blight agents Tip Blight

Pests (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 (8)

'Baby Blueeyes'

Common name: Baby Blueeyes Colorado Blue Spruce; Mature height: 10 ft

Hardy to USDA Zone 2

'Blues'

Common name: The Blues Colorado Blue Spruce Weeping Colorado Blue Spruce; Mature height: 6 ft

Hardy to USDA Zone 3

'Fastigiata'

Common name: Columnar Blue Spruce Fastigiata Blue Spruce

Hardy to USDA Zone 2

'Fat Albert'

Common name: Fat Albert Colorado Blue Spruce; Mature height: 10–15 ft

Hardy to USDA Zone 2

'Glauca Globosa'

Common name: Globosa Colorado Blue Spruce Dwarf Globe Colorado Blue Spruce; Mature height: 3–5 ft

Hardy to USDA Zone 3

'Glauca Prostrata'

Common name: Prostrate Colorado Blue Spruce

Hardy to USDA Zone 2

'Montgomery'

Common name: Montgomery Blue Spruce; Mature height: 5 ft

Hardy to USDA Zone 2

'Globosa'