What is The State Tree of South Dakota?

What is The State Tree of South Dakota?

Black Hills spruce is the State Tree of South Dakota. Picea glauca is the scientific name of Black Hills spruce and it is commonly known as Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, Black Hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, and Porsild spruce. Picea is the genus of the Black Hills spruce and P. glauca is its species.

The South Dakota’s State tree Black Hills spruce is belongs from the family of Pinaceae, which is commonly native to the northern moderate and boreal woodlands in North America. It was initially native from central Alaska all through the east, across southern or central Canada to the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland. Presently it has been naturally grows southward into the far northern United States’ border state like Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine and also an inaccessible population in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming.

When a state bodies select a symbol for the state it should be represent extra ordinary design, quality, availability, expression, and usefulness, cultural, traditional and religious back ground, which go back thousands of years or its popularities The Black Hills spruce tree is the most valuable tree species in South Dakota. On the basis of the facts mentioned above, the state legislation was approved and the Black Hills spruce became the official tree of the state on March 10, 1947.

The Facts of the State Tree of South Dakota [Black Hills spruce]

  • Common Names:  Black Hills spruce and it is commonly known as Canadian spruce, skunk spruce, cat spruce, Black Hills spruce, western white spruce, Alberta white spruce, and Porsild spruce
  • Family:  Pinaceae – Pine family
  • Genus:  Picea
  • Species:  Picea glauca
  • Found in:  Native from central Alaska all through the east, across southern or central Canada to the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland. Presently it has been naturally grows southward into the far northern United States’ border state like Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine and also an inaccessible population in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming.
  • Leaf: The leaves of the Black Hills spruce tree are called “needles”. The needles are green to blue-green in color. The evergreen, rigid, leaves are in between 1/3 to 3/4 inch long, pointed tip not very sharp.
  • Flower:  The Black Hills spruce tree has produces both male and female flower in same tree in different location. The males reddish but turning yellow, scattered all through trees; females purple, erect, in tops of the trees.
  • Fruit:  The fruits of the Black Hills spruce tree called cones, which are pollination occurs in late spring and cones mature in one season. In the fall, cones are 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long, cigar shaped, light brown color with round margins.
  • Twig:  The recent twigs are slim, light brown or pale to orange-brown color, occasionally glaucous, hairless. Each twig is covered with many of separate woody pegs.
  • Bark:  The bark is thin gray-brown in color; smooth, which are becoming reasonably thick with age. It will be ultimately develop to flaky or few scaly.
  • Purpose:  ornamental.
  • Symbolism:  Energy, peace and protection, good luck, also symbols of the sky and directional guardians of the north.

The South Dakota’s State tree Black Hills spruce The White spruce prefers wide variety of soils, such as soils of glacial, lacustrine, marine, and alluvial origins; overlying basic dolomites, lime stones and acidic Precambrian and Devonian granites and gneisses; and Silurian sedimentary schists, shales, slates, and conglomerates. The wide range of textures accommodated includes clays, even those that are massive when wet and columnar when dry and sand flats, and coarse soils. Its occurrence on some organic soils is not characteristic, except perhaps on shallow mesic organic soils in Saskatchewan and in association with black spruce on organic soils in central Yukon.

The Black Hills spruce or white spruce is used in protection plantings and agro-forestry windbreaks. It’s inner bark and shoots are being used for food and the hard-bitten sap for gum by Plains Native Americans. Now a day, the wood is used for dimensional lumber, pulpwood, and is a popular Christmas tree species. In 1997, the National Capitol Christmas tree was a 63 foot Black Hills spruce from the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota.

Black Hills spruce is verdict increasing reputation as a Christmas tree as a result of its regular form and eye-catching blue plants. The species has an exceptional innate shape and require little shearing. Additionally, needle retention is among the best for the spruces. Its reputation as an ornamental shows the way many consumers to use Black Hills spruce as a living Christmas tree, to be planted after the holiday season.

To sum up, Black Hills spruce is the people’s favorite State Tree of South Dakota, which symbolized Energy, peace and protection, good luck, also symbols of the sky and directional guardians of the north. Although it is an official State tree symbol of South Dakota, it outstandingly represents and glorifies the spirit of South Dakota culture.

Ref:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picea_glauca

http://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/state-tree/south-dakota.html

https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/treeDetail.cfm?id=174

 

americanprofile.com › Trivia

www.netstate.com/states/symb/trees/sd_black_hills_spruce.htm

 

https://sdda.sd.gov/conservation-forestry/forest-woodlands-trees/south-dakota-state-tree/

 

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