Pine vs. Spruce

Pine and spruce are types of conifers that belong to the pine family. There are around 175 different types of pine and 35 species of spruce that can be found mostly in the temperate and boreal parts of the northern hemisphere. Pine and spruce are evergreen plants that are cultivated in decorative purposes (especially popular during the Christmas) and as a source of timber. Despite similar morphology, pine and spruce can be easily differentiated thanks to:

Morphology of the Mature Tree

Spruce produces numerous upturned branches that form pyramid-shaped crown. Pine has less branches which are spirally arranged on the stem. Crown of pine is also pyramid-shaped, but it is less symmetrical compared to a spruce.

Needles

Pine produces soft, flexible needles arranged in groups of 2, 3 or 5 on the twigs (group of needles grow from the same spot). Twigs of spruce are covered with tough, woody pegs. Each peg is equipped with single, stiff and sharp needle. Spruce has square-shaped needles that are shorter and much sharper compared with needles of pine.

Cones

Pine produces rigid cones made of tough and woody scales. Spruce produces flexible cones made of papery and thin scales. Both types of cones are arranged upside-down on the branches. They fall to the ground in a single piece when they reach maturity.

Bark

Spruce tree is covered with rough, scaly bark which becomes deeply furrowed when tree reach maturity. Pine tree is covered with smooth bark when the tree is young, but its bark becomes reddish-brown and starts to flake after several years.

Lumber

Pine and spruce have soft timber. Pine lumber is cheaper and more available than spruce lumber. It is amber to dark red colored and covered with yellowish-white lines. Pine is weaker than spruce, but it contains high amount of resins which ensure durability of created products. Spruce has creamy-white lumber. Thanks to its excellent tonal quality, spruce is often used for the manufacture of music instruments such as guitars and violins. Other than that, spruce is also frequently used for the manufacture of fences, boards and paper. Beautifully colored pine lumber is mostly used for the manufacture of cabinets, furniture, window frames and shelves.

Part of Human Diet

Pine seed, better known as pine nuts, are part of human diet. Young pine needles can be used for the preparation of tea (they are excellent source of vitamin A and C). Fresh shoots of spruce tree are rich source of vitamin C. Beer made of spruce shoots was regularly consumed on the long voyages on the sea in the past to prevent scurvy among sailors (disorder induced by deficiency of vitamin C).