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State Trees
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The term floral emblem, which refers to flowers specifically,
is primarily used in Australia and Canada. In the United States, the term state flower
is more often used. |
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Utah Symbols
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Utah State Tree
Blue Spruce
(Pinaceae Picea pungens)
Adopted on February 20, 1933.
The blue spruce, Pinaceae Picea pungens, was chosen by the Utah State Legislature in 1933 to be the Tree. The tree is found in the Wasatch and Uinta mountains at elevations between 6,000 to 11,000 feet. It can be transplanted successfully and is widely used as an ornamental tree. Its foliage is generally silvery blue in color and has the ability to withstand temperature extremes.
Description of the Utah State Tree
The four-angled needles of the blue spruce are from 3/4 to 1 1/8 inches long and are dull blue green. This large tree has gray or brown bark that is furrowed into scaly ridges. Cones are from 2 1/2 to 4 inches long and are light brown with long, thin, irregularly toothed scales.
It is a slow-growing, long-lived tree of medium size that, because of its symmetry and color, is planted extensively as an ornamental. Because blue spruce is relatively scarce and the wood is brittle and often full of knots, it is not an important timber tree.
Identification
- Leaf: Evergreen, stiff, 3/4 to 1 1/4 inch long, yellow-green to bluish or white. Needles are very sharp, and have an acidic taste.
Flower: Monoecious; males yellow-brown to purple, scattered throughout trees; females purple, upright, in tops of the trees.
- Fruit: Cones are 2 to 4 inches long, cylindrical, light brown in color. Cone scales are pointed with jagged-erose margins. Maturing in autumn.
- Twig: Stout (when compared to other spruces), hairless, orange-brown. Needles are borne on woody pegs. Bud scales are noticeably reflexed.
- Bark: Gray to red-brown, young trees with small, thin scales - older trees developing furrows.
- Form: A medium to large tree with pyramidal form. Branches appear layered, especially with age.
Taxonomic Hierarchy of the Blue Spruce
| Kingdom |
Plantae -- Plants |
| Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants |
| Superdivision |
Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
| Division |
Coniferophyta – Conifers |
| Class |
Pinopsida – |
| Order |
Pinales – |
| Family |
Pinaceae – Pine family |
| Genus |
Picea A. Dietr. – spruce |
| Species |
Picea pungens Engelm. – blue spruce |
Source:
Dendrology at Virginia Tech
US Department of Agriculture
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State Trees
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All of the state
trees, except the Hawaii state tree, are native to the state in which they are designated.
tree \ˈtrē\
noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English trēow; akin to Old Norse trē tree, Greek
drys, Sanskrit dāru wood
Date: before 12th century
1 a: a woody perennial plant having a single usually elongate main stem generally
with few or no branches on its lower part
b: a shrub or herb of arborescent form <rose trees> <a
banana tree> |
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