Trees to 50m; trunk to 1.5m diam.; crown broadly conic. Bark gray-brown. Branches slightly to strongly drooping; twigs not pendent, stout, yellow-brown, usually glabrous. Buds dark orange-brown, 6--12mm, apex rounded to acute. Leaves 1.6--3cm, 4-angled in cross section, rigid, blue-green, bearing stomates on all surfaces, apex spine-tipped. Seed cones (5--)6--11(--12)cm; scales elliptic to diamond-shaped, widest below middle, 15--22 ´ 10--15mm, rather stiff, margin at apex erose, apex extending 8--10mm beyond seed-wing impression. 2 n =24.

Midmontane forests; 1800--3000m; Ariz., Colo., Idaho, N.Mex., Utah, Wyo.

Limited hybridization occurs between Picea pungens and P . engelmannii (R.Daubenmire 1972; R.J. Taylor et al. 1975).

Blue spruce ( Picea pungens ) is the state tree of Colorado (as Colorado blue spruce) and Utah.