Picea chihuahuana - Conifer - Cahuite, Chihuahua Spruce Page

The Picea chihuahuana, also known as the Chihuahua Spruce, is a stunning medium-sized evergreen tree that can grow up to 35 meters tall with a trunk diameter of up to 1 meter. It is native to northwest Mexico, where it grows along streamsides in mountain valleys with moderate altitudes ranging from 2300-3200 meters. The bark is thin and scaly, and the crown has widely spaced branches with drooping branchlets. This spruce is best known for its needle-like leaves with bright blue-green color and rhombic cross-section. It also produces attractive pendulous cones that are broad cylindrical in shape and green in color, maturing pale brown in six to eight months after pollination. With just 25 small populations consisting of few hundred trees each, Chihuahua Spruce is considered endangered. However, it is starting to gain popularity as an ornamental tree in botanical gardens, particularly in warm regions, as it is one of the most heat-tolerant of all spruces, more tolerant of summer heat than even the Blue Spruce. It is hardy to USDA hardiness zone 7 and listed as hardy to Zone 8. Choose the Chihuahua Spruce for its unique combination of attractive foliage and impressive heat tolerance.