Trees to 80m; trunk to 5m diam.; crown narrowly conic. Bark grayish brown to orange-brown. Branches somewhat drooping; twigs not pendent, rather stout, pinkish brown, glabrous. Buds reddish brown, 5--10mm, apex rounded. Leaves (1.2--)1.5--2.5(--3)cm, flattened or broadly triangular in cross section (abaxial surface rounded or slightly angular), rather rigid, blue-green to light yellow-green, abaxial surface darker green with stomatal bands very narrow or absent, adaxial surface glaucous with conspicuous stomatal bands separated by ridge, apex sharp-pointed. Seed cones 5--9(--10)cm; scales variable, elliptic to narrowly diamond-shaped, 15--22 × 12--16mm, rather rigid, margin at apex erose, apex extending 4--8mm beyond seed-wing impression. 2 n =24.

Pacific coastal forests; 0--900m; B.C.; Alaska, Calif., Oreg., Wash.

Picea sitchensis intergrades extensively with P. glauca in the river inlets of north coastal British Columbia and coastal Alaska. The name P. × lutzii Little is applied to hybrids between the two species (R. Daubenmire 1968).

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) is the state tree of Alaska.