Volunteer spruce (identification???)

[Lorax7]

Got a little spruce that appeared in my yard this year, obviously volunteering to become bonsai. Naturally, I obliged and put it in a pot. Any idea what kind of spruce it is?

 

[Forsoothe!]

We don't know where you live.

 

[Lorax7]

We don't know where you live.

Michigan

 

[Eckhoffw]

Man, pretty tough at this stage. I’m going Norway spruce.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Baby Spruce. Foliage so tiny seems like Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

 

[Forsoothe!]

ERC.

 

[Lorax7]

ERC.

What does ERC stand for?

 

[Cruiser]

If it just popped up in your yard, there’s a chance the seed came from a nearby tree.
Check to see if there’s a mature spruce nearby that could be the parent. Check for cones, they’re a helpful way to identify the species.

 

[canoeguide]

What does ERC stand for?

Eastern red cedar

 

[Forsoothe!]

Eastern Redcedar

 

[Lorax7]

If it just popped up in your yard, there’s a chance the seed came from a nearby tree.
Check to see if there’s a mature spruce nearby that could be the parent. Check for cones, they’re a helpful way to identify the species.

This is the nearest conifer in the yard:

 

[Lorax7]

Another picture of the sapling under better lighting conditions:

 

[Cruiser]

This is the nearest conifer in the yard:
View attachment 403360
View attachment 403361

Sharply pointed needles. Bluish hue. Papery scaled cones. It appears you have a blue spruce nearby. If your little fella also has the sharp needles, that’s likely what it is.

 

[PA_Penjing]

Colorado blue seems the safest bet since that’s the nearest spruce. Or picea pungens. Absolutely not a red cedar

 

[Mike Westervelt]

Sure looks like Colorado blue spruce, Picea pungens.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I disagree, and only time will tell.

 

[Njyamadori]

Definitely a spruce to me . I can’t see up close tho

 

[Forsoothe!]

Skinny needles says ERC. Young Picea pungens are thicker by a lot, and have a heavy waxy coating. ERC seedlings are a dime a dozen in their range verses few P. p.

 

[Flowerhouse]

Next year's buds are clearly visible, definitely a spruce, probably Picea pungens. If it were growing here I would further guess that it's a 2020 sprout, not a 2021.

 

[Lorax7]

Next year's buds are clearly visible, definitely a spruce, probably Picea pungens. If it were growing here I would further guess that it's a 2020 sprout, not a 2021.

It’s entirely possible that it could be a 2020 sprout that escaped my attention last year. It was growing in a bed of cypress mulch on the north side of the house in an area where I am unlikely to see it except when I’m mowing the lawn.