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State Tree: Black Hills Spruce
The Black Hills spruce was adopted on March 10, 1947. Some people complained that it only grows in the
Black Hills, in far western South Dakota. On the other hand, the state flower is a grassland species,
as is the state grass.
Moreover, the Black Hills spruce contributed to the name "Black Hills." The tree-covered hills that make
up this oasis on the plains look black from a distance.
The Black Hills spruce can exceed one hundred feet in height. Older trees in the Black Hills are often
draped with a lichen called "old-man's-beard."
It's not necessary to visit the Black Hills in order to see a Black Hills spruce. Settlers in the Northern
Great Plains planted rows of trees to make shelterbelts and windbreaks. The trees offered protection
from the sun and wind and a change in scenery. Today, the long-lived, winter-hardy Black Hills spruce
is commonly planted in shelterbelts and windbreaks throughout the Great Plains.
For more information about the black hills spruce click
here.
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