Picea
Picea is a genus of evergreen conifers commonly called spruces. Its species bear solitary needles attached to woody pegs and produce hanging cones.
Pinaceae: Pinaceae is a family of conifers that includes spruces, pines, firs, and larches. Picea is one of the family’s major genera, alongside pines and firs.
Norway spruce: Norway spruce is a large European spruce, Picea abies, cultivated for timber and as a Christmas tree. This familiar species illustrates spruce’s importance in European forests and forestry.
Wind pollination: Wind pollination is the transfer of pollen between plants by air currents. Spruce pollen travels through the air from pollen cones to receptive seed cones.
Spruce wood: Spruce wood is softwood lumber produced from trees in the genus Picea. Its strength-to-weight ratio and workability make it useful for construction and instruments.
Abies: Abies is a genus of conifers commonly called firs, with needles attached directly to twigs and upright seed cones. Fir needles lack the woody pegs characteristic of spruce twigs, and fir cones stand upright.
Conifer: A conifer is a cone-bearing seed plant, usually evergreen and woody. Spruces belong to this broad group of gymnosperms.
Sitka spruce: Sitka spruce is a large North Pacific conifer, Picea sitchensis, valued for timber. Its coastal range and great size contrast with many other spruce species.
Seed dispersal: Seed dispersal is the movement of seeds away from the parent plant. Spruce seeds have wings that help wind carry them from opened cones.
Pulp and paper: Pulp and paper is an industry that converts fibrous plant material into paper products. Spruce’s long fibers make it a major source of papermaking pulp.
Pinus: Pinus is a genus of conifers commonly called pines, whose needles usually grow in bundles. Pines bear clustered needles, unlike the individually attached needles of spruces.