Cache not at Posted Coordinates!
N 45° 55.009′ W 94° 24.156′
A common evergreen that grows well in Minnesota. It is one of my favorites giving the best Christmas Tree Smell.
Form
Medium size; height 40' to 60' with continuous straight tapering trunk from root to top; diameter 9" to 20" or more; spreading branches form a handsome, symmetrical, slender pyramid.
Bark
Smooth, grayish, prominently marked by blisters filled with resin or balsam pitch.
Leaf
Needlelike, but flat; length 1/2" to 1" with rounded point; dark green and lustrous above and silvery-white beneath; arranged on twig apparently in two ranks; resinous and fragrant.
Fruit (seed)
Cones upright on branches, purple, oblong; length 2" to 4"; become ripe in the autumn of the first year; cone scale wider than long; seeds have very wide wings and, when ripe, fall together with the scales of the cone, leaving the hard central axis standing upright on twig like a spike.
Range
Found in the forests of northern Minnesota and in a few scattered localities in the southeastern corner of the state; usually associated with white spruce, from which it can easily be distinguished by its large upright cones and soft leaves; thrives in cool, damp, places; very shade tolerant.
Wood uses
Light, soft, not strong or durable, coarse-grained; used only slightly for construction lumber; is mixed with spruce wood for paper pulp; especially important as Christmas trees.
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Welcome to the Little Falls Area! We have a series of caches dedicated to the people that have and are making the area a great part of the Minnesota quilt. These caches are placed under the name TeamGeoPilot in honor of our team of Cache Hiders! Enjoy and hopefully you will all be Little Falls experts after you search these out.