Is it spruce or pine?

[comanighttrain]

Not a major issue I guess, but I find it hard to tell spruce from pine... I tend to recognise it by the branches (spruce looks like a christmas tree, mature pine has no branches at the base)

Is there a more reliable way?

[Martin]

Well, as far as I know, a Spruce is a type of pine.

Extract from Wikipedia:

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ( /ˈpaɪnəs/),[1] in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.

Hope this helps,

Martin

[comanighttrain]

doh! I meant Scots Pine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_Pine

[Martin]

In which case, the needles are much much longer on a Scots Pine.

Martin

[comanighttrain]

ahh cheers,

Ill have to find two to compare...should be easy if they are mature...

[J_P]

Pine needles are in pairs P, spruce needles are in singles S from the leafing bud that is thats the easyest way of remembering it....

[RobbC]

Pine needles are in pairs P, spruce needles are in singles S from the leafing bud that is thats the easyest way of remembering it....
Ive always wonderd how to tell, and that is a very easy way to remember it. Good one JP.

Robb

[comanighttrain]

thats sounds pretty solid...cheers JP

[Martin]

Nice on JP. Thanks for that. :)

Martin

[J_P]

im full of useless info like that lol ;)