Picea engelmannii
Picea engelmannii, a gymnosperm and part of the pine family, is often known as the Engelmann Spruce. It is a tall, narrow, evergreen tree named after George Engelmann, a German-born physician and botanist of St. Louis and known authority on conifers. Found at higher elevations from British Columbia and Alberta to New Mexico it is a major contributor to the forests of the high-elevation Rocky Mountains. Above 9000 ft and on dry, well-drained slopes it is often the dominant species, although above the tree line it often becomes krummholz (German for crooked wood), a low, stunted, mass of twisted mats or shrubs. In Utah the Engelmann Spruce is distributed mostly in the upper elevations of the mountain chains but, is also found in other areas of the state.
Engelmann Spruce is identifiable by its pointy-scaled, cylindrical cone, four-sided, long, pointed needles, and scaly, gray to purplish-brown bark The Engelmann spruce has needles evenly distributed around itŐs branches that give off a pungent aroma when crushed. They often grow to lengths of 1 inch long and are dark-green to blue-green in color. The cones of the Engelmann Spruce are light brown, grow up to 3 inches long and have scales that are long and pointed at the tip. The male flowers are purplish, cylinders with spike-like projections and are found hanging in the lower crown. The female flowers are more of reddish color without projections and are found upright in the upper crown. Engelmann Spruce often grows to heights over 40-50 feet and can reach heights well over 100 feet.
One of the most common uses for Engelman Spruce wood is in guitars. Due to the warm bass tones and its other acoustic qualities, top grade selections are often used for the sound boards and for the tops of handmade guitars and make wonderful instruments.
George Engelmann
Engelmann Spruce taken from USDA NRCS
