Stats

Lifespan

Up to 250 yrs

Size

Huge

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Boreal forest

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Spines

Status

Uncommon

About

This evergreen conifer grows across the cold, swampy forests of northern Canada. Its tightly sealed cones require the intense heat of a forest fire to release their seeds.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Pinopsida

Order

Pinales

Family

Pinaceae

Genus

Picea

Species

Picea mariana