Spruce

Spruce oil comes from black spruce (Picea mariana), white spruce (Picea glauca), hemlock spruce (Tsuga canadensis) and related species. The oil of Tsuga canadensis, also known as the Eastern Hemlock, is steam distilled from the leaves and twigs.

Chemistry

Spruce and hemlock oils have an ester content, calculated as bornyl acetate, of 37-45%. In the oil of Picea abies, monoterpenes make up about 70%, with limonene, camphene and pinene often dominating. Pinene has two structural isomers, α-pinene and β-pinene, with characteristic pine and turpentine smells, respectively.

Seasonal Variation

The composition of Picea abies oil varies greatly with season but not with short-distance geographic origin. In Picea abies oil, monoterpenes reached their highest share in April (72%), sesquiterpenes in August (21%) and diterpenes in June (27%). Bornyl acetate fell from 17.64% of the oil in April to 4.19% in June. The oil with the lowest allergenic potential, lowest in limonene and linalool, was obtained in late spring or summer.

The Trees

A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea, a genus of some 37 species of coniferous trees in the pine family, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Spruce needles are four-sided and attached singly to small persistent peg-like structures on the twigs. Black spruce is found in all 10 Canadian provinces and all 3 territories, and its range extends into northern parts of the United States. Norway spruce grows throughout Europe from Norway in the northwest and Poland eastward, and also in the mountains of central Europe. Spruce is the standard material for the soundboards of stringed instruments like acoustic guitars.

Name and History

The scientific name Picea derives from Latin pix, pitch, which was obtained from the resin of Picea abies. The word spruce appears originally to have denoted goods, including wooden objects, imported from Prussia. Spruce resin was used in the manufacture of pitch in the past, before the use of petrochemicals. Black spruce, along with red spruce, has also been used to make spruce gum and spruce beer.

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Related: Amyris · Birch · Cascarilla · Cedarwood · Cypress · Driftwood · Ebanol · Elemi