Talk:Spruce

Range?

Hi, I was wondering where the spruce comes from.(China,Eurpe,America) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.254.226.203 (talk), 17 May 2007

Spruces are found in high altitude, temperate, and boreal areas of North America and Eurasia. Click here for a range map as well as more detailed information on the range. --Schzmo 21:32, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Ecology

Spruce forest dominate much of the northern temperate (or is that sub-arctic?) region, and basically define many of the ecosystems there. The article should have a long section on such things. JöG 10:20, 30 September 2006 (UTC) umm whats there product??????

hi is spruce hardwood or softwood?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.161.202.162 (talk) 17:41, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

what are the properties of spruce???

what do black hills spruce and have uncommin

what are the properties of spruce?

Christmas Trees?

The article says they are used as Christmas trees. People never use them for that since they smell like cat piss when you bring them in the house. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.222.11.162 (talk) 15:30, 27 December 2006 (UTC).

I don't know how it is in the US, but it's widely used as Christmas tree in Europe. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.153.99.178 (talk) 23:07, 17 March 2007

Ibid. Spruce smell is very similar to pine. I would wager to say that most people find that smell very much not like cat piss. NiklasBr (talk)

Spruce

Apparently the name "spruce" comes from Polish "z Prus" - meaning "from Prussia" as Polish speaking sailor were trying to explain origin of imported trees to Britons. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.243.97.79 (talk) 00:30, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

If you could find a source for that, that'd be great. -- the Great Gavini 18:12, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

I was just about to write what SineBot wrote; yet I will try and find a source. Here's what I wrote already anyway ;)

In the late Middle Ages England was importing spruce mainly from Poland. To be more specific - from Prussia, which was a Polish fief in those days. When the English were asking: "where is that tree coming from?", the Polish were saying: "from Prussia". However, theye were saying thia in Polish: "z Prus"; prenounce: "spruce". That explains the etimology of the tree's name in English.

Sorry if I mess up the comments, I'm a Wiki rookie...Bartex77 (talk) 21:41, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

EDIT: I read that Norman Davies wrote about the Polish origin of spruce name in torrent "God's playground". I haven't got this book, may anyone check this?Bartex77 (talk) 21:55, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Classification

Please add a reference for the classification in the article! It differs from the classifications I am aware. Krasanen (talk) 17:35, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

I actually suggest that the classification by section should be replaced by a simple list of species, because recent classification proposals derived from molecular studies differ totally from traditional classifications (like those of Schmidt (1988) and Farjon (1990)). Krasanen (talk) 07:54, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

I changed classification to the most recent one. Krasanen (talk) 18:32, 21 April 2009 (UTC)

The name.

Some time ago I wrote about the origin of the name "spruce". Now I would like to know how it was called before it got its "Polish" name. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.243.97.79 (talk) 14:13, 25 July 2009 (UTC)

Usage in Music

Spruce is considered a tonewood. Many regions use Spruce for making musical instruments. I would like to see a list, of region and instruments which use Spruce, to give a better overview. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Anaccuratesource (talk • contribs) 03:18, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

Propagation From Stem Cuttings?

Is it Possible to Propagate by inserting Stem Cuttings into the ground? Obsessions28 (talk) 08:23, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Use in aircraft

While it's true that spruce has historically been used in aircraft, the statement about Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose is wrong. In fact the hyperlinked wiki entry states in the first paragraph "...it was nicknamed the "Spruce Goose" by its critics, despite being made almost entirely of birch, rather than spruce.[1]" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.67.145.90 (talk) 22:05, 22 May 2011 (UTC)

After checking it out, 108.67.145.90 is correct - removed. Hamamelis (talk) 02:31, 23 May 2011 (UTC)

I had to check it out too, because birch is a very poor material for construction purposes. A longbow made out of birch would break as soon as you tried to use it, while a longbow made out of spruce would work well. According to your source the spruce goose was made out of "laminated wood, mainly birch". Birch works better when laminated with other types of wood, but is still a poor choice. If I had time I would research why birch was used in the spruce goose at all, and how it was used. Birch is fairly good at holding up against pressure, so beams can be made out of long spruce planks on all sides, laminated with birch in the middle.Roger491127 (talk) 02:20, 25 November 2011 (UTC)

Turkey in the range of Picea breweriana

Looks just as a mistake. Should be removed? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hatifnatter (talk • contribs) 09:46, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Oldest tree: tasmania

Huon Pine http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/the-oldest-tree/story-e6frg8h6-1226130673929?nk=c0433900859a733596ba17d027688c95 Picea [pɪkˀeʌ]101.171.85.60 (talk) 14:26, 5 January 2015 (UTC)

Etymology

Old French? Spruce is a phonetic record of Polish z Prus (from Prussia). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.23.247.27 (talk) 17:11, 17 December 2019 (UTC)

Yes, the name of the tree spruce comes directly from the Polish phrase “z Prus” (from Prussia). In the Middle Ages, the Hanseatic merchants from the region of Praussia (which was part of the Kingdom of Poland at that time) brought goods (including Spruce wood) by ships to many ports around the Baltic and the North Seas. They did not speak the languages of the countries they brought the goods to. They were trying to communicate using the Polish language and the usual phrase they used was “z Prus” to inform the local merchants that they came from Prussia. After a while the English merchants picked it up as the name of the tree the Polish merchants brought and called it „sprews” then “Spruce”, which is pronounced exactly as the Polish “z Prus”. The etymology in the main article is wrong. There is no reason why the name of this tree would come from French. 98.7.12.219 (talk) 19:44, 2 January 2024 (UTC)

Correct Etymology

The name of the tree spruce comes directly from the Polish phrase “z Prus” (from Prussia). In the Middle Ages, the Hanseatic merchants from the region of Praussia (which was part of the Kingdom of Poland at that time) brought goods (including Spruce wood) by ships to many ports around the Baltic and the North Seas. They did not speak the languages of the countries they brought the goods to. They were trying to communicate using the Polish language and the usual phrase they used was “z Prus” to inform the local merchants that they came from Prussia. After a while the English merchants picked it up as the name of the tree the Polish merchants brought and called it „sprews” then “Spruce”, which is pronounced exactly as the Polish “z Prus”. The etymology in the main article is wrong. There is no reason why the name of this tree would come from French. 98.7.12.219 (talk) 19:45, 2 January 2024 (UTC)

That is indeed correct. The word "spruce" traces its etymology not from the French word "Pruce," as is commonly and mistakenly believed, but rather from the Polish phrase "z Prus," meaning "from Prussia." This correct origin, emphasized by the esteemed English historian Norman Davies in his authoritative work "God's Playground: A History of Poland," highlights the linguistic journey from the Middle Ages' Hanseatic trade. Polish Hanseatic sailors and traders, when asked about the type of wood, would reply with "z Prus," referring to its Prussian origin. Over time, English adapted and morphed this phrase into "spruce," signifying not just any wood but specifically the spruce tree. This transformation showcases the profound influence of trade on language, debunking the lazy explanation that links the word to French origins. Davies' research offers a more accurate and credible account than commonly referenced sources like etymonline.com, underscoring the importance of historical and linguistic precision in tracing the roots of words in the English language. 46.205.140.25 (talk) 20:48, 24 February 2024 (UTC)

Also, as stated in the main article, the word spruce (spuse, sprws) originally has been the term for all kinds of goods brought to England by Hanseatic merchants from Prussia (part of the Kingdom of Poland at the time), which is a direct evidence that the origin of the word is the Polish phrase "Z Prus" literally meaning "From Prussia". etymonline.com has been known as a not very credible source of etymology, of which this case is a perfect proof. As a side note, etymonline.com is a commercial website having the quantity and not quality of content as its main interest/goal. It shouldn't be a respected practice to use etymonline.com as a source of citations.

It is a common notion among Polish and English historians that the Polish Hanseatic merchants did not speak much of English and they used the Polish phrase "Z Prus" to inform potential buyers that they are bringing their goods from Prussia, which was the region in direct vicinity of the Polish Hanseatic port of Gdansk.

It's about time someone updates the etymology section of the main article. 46.205.140.25 (talk) 19:26, 25 February 2024 (UTC)