Engelmann spruce is relatively rare in western Washington. It occurs in moist to swampy subalpine coniferous forests, is the common spruce species east of the Cascade crest, but occasionally occurs at middle elevations on the west slope. Engelmann spruce has also been reported from the Olympic Peninsula. The young branches of Engelmann spruce are often somewhat fuzzy and the 2-3 cm needles are distinctly 4-sided, such that they can be rolled between the fingers. The needles have paired white lines of stomata, which are equally broad on the upper and lower surfaces. The needles of all spruces leave behind a raised "peg" when they fall, making needle-less branch segments very rough. The female cones are pendent, 4-5 cm long, with thin, somewhat pointed, rhomboid scales. Although Engelmann spruce is a tall tree (to 50 m), its trunk rarely exceeds 1 m diameter at the base.