Close up photo of the needles.

Probably Picea pungens, a large-growing tree.

I didn't think 'blue spruce', but yes, it does look like it. I'm sure it would have better colour if it had sun. Thanks, bboy.

Looks like a small Norway spruce to me.

>The needles are stiff and sharp - not, softIf it's P. pungens it will have thick and stout needles almost like cactus spines. Hence "pungens" (piercing).

If you search "spruce key" or comparable terms you can find dichotomous keys online showing specific characters used to tell apart the common spruces of the geographic areas covered.

This post was edited by bboy on Sat, Jan 24, 15 at 14:54

The description of the sharp needles would suggest blue spruce, but everything else says Norway spruce. Especially the shady environment and the fact it sprouted from seed on its own in Nova Scotia. Blue spruce do not naturally grow from seed in the east, wiwithout human assistance

This post was edited by SC77 on Sat, Jan 24, 15 at 15:30

Not many, but I have found exactly two P. pungens offspring, under shrubs, daylilies, whatnot. BTW Dee, definitely not planted by bird, pine-family members, of which this spruce is a member, have very small seeds with tiny wings on them. They only typically travel a factor of a few heights of the mother tree, in distance away from that tree, depending on wind. For example there are some old, large and mature P. pungens right nearby the location where I found those two seedlings.

The tree would generally be happiest in full sun.

+oM

It actually sprouted in an area of the back yard that has some sun; but that 'bed' is really narrow, and I use it for clematis. It outgrew that spot once it got to about 6" (I should mention it stayed pretty much greenish in colour in the sun for the first couple of years of its' life) and my only available empty spot was a shaded area, so that's were I moved it. Surprisingly it seems happy there, at least for the time being... which is why I thought I should ask what it is, and try to figure out what to do about it. :)

There was a blue spruce in the neighbour's front yard across the street from me, so the seed may have blown over from there. There may be a Norway spruce in the back neighbour's front yard, though. I'm not sure exactly what their conifers in the front yard are; I've never really taken a closer look.

I appreciate everyone's input - thanks.

All spruce have some degree of shade tolerance. In nature, a classic situation is to have a stand of pioneer tree species, things like aspens, birch, etc. Then as that stand begins to mature, young spruce and fir move into the understory, biding their time until the pioneer plants do their thing and die. See it all over the northwoods.

But in a yard, I would not waste such plants in very heavy shade. They are and will be happiest with full or near-full sun.

+oM

i vote for picea abies ...

regardless .. abies or pungens its at least 20 feet to close.. to whatever it is planted near ...

they make telephone poles out of these things.. when forest grown ...

just because its free... doesnt mean its going to stay small and cute ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Everything says Blue Spruce as far as I can tell. Seed probably didn't blow to your yard... squirrels, chipmunks like to "store" all kinds of seeds in the ground. I would be willing to bet that grew from a snack a fury little creature was trying to save for winter. I have found a couple tiny blue spruce and white pine on my acreage and I don't have another spruce or white within 1/4 mile; but I do have an abundant population of squirrels.

in adrian MI .. surrounded by hundreds of pungens.. i have NEVER seen a pungens seedling ... have thousands of pinus sylvestrus seedling ... and maybe one or two pinus strobus... and a few p abies ... on 5 acres of sand ...

one thing for sure.. its not a pine.. lol ...

nor will it ever have PINE cones ... it will have spruce cones ...

but for sure.. i only guess at the ID game ... i dont use any of that fancy diagnostic science ... lol.. who needs it ... it you all agree on pungens.. good enough for me ...

it still has HUGE potential ... see link

and.. even though the common name is blue spruce.. this one will NEVER be bluer than it is right now ... its genetics that makes it blue.. not the culture [how its grown] ...

if you want one of the sky blue ones.. you have to buy that named variety ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

True about it being way too close to everything it is planted near. I never would have gone out and purposely bought a spruce tree for my yard, that's for sure. It sure is a cute little thing, though; and I was curious to see what the little seedling would turn out to be. btw, we have a ton of squirrels.

Picea abies.
Clement

Somehow, this convo has come around to a refutation of the primary means of seed dispersal in the Pinaceae. Yet every reference work in the world lists wind as the primary means. I guess those experts needed to wait for this thread to clear things up!

+oM

We do get pretty windy here, too... You should see the billions of maple seeds flying on a windy day in my yard alone (in early summer, that is). Or not. :/

I vote picea abies. Needle color is not like any pungens I've seen (regardless of if it's blue or not) and buds definitely not pungens.

Could it be Picea Rubens?

it would help to have a photo of the terminal buds, - in focus

This is the best I can do for now with an iPad camera, and a nor'easter yesterday. What a difference a few days make. Hopefully this is a terminal bud?

Picea abies for me too.

Resin

Regardless its ultimate id-and with resin having weighed in, I believe we have that-this tree will want some room to grow and quite a lot of sun. Seedlings can develop in shady or semi-shady spots, as referenced above, but for best growth and long-term health, more sun will be better.

OP, maybe the plants shading this thing are of low value or interest to you-I'm just guessing here-and could be pruned or outright removed to make more room for real long-term plant, which Norway spruce can be. Or maybe a friend has a better site for it. That thing looks eminently movable at this size.

+oM