Picea

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Picea (spruce; family Pinaceae) A genus of large, evergreen conifers in which the leaves are stiff and are borne singly on peg-like projections which remain attached to the twig when the leaves fall. The cones are borne at the tips of the branches and hang downward when ripe. The genus includes many important timber trees (e.g. P. sitchensis, Sitka spruce, much planted in northern Britain). There are 34 species, found throughout the northern hemisphere except in Africa.