Phylum: Coniferophyta
    ~Tallest vascular, cone-bearing plants.

Class: Pinpsida
    ~Cone-bearing seed plants with simple leaves and active secondary growth .

Order: Pinales
    ~Includes all of the non-extinct conifers.  Leaves are needle-like, alternate or
       bundles of needle-like leaves alternate.

Family: Pinaceae
    ~Mostly evergreen, all monoecious with whorled branches, and spirally arranged
       needle-like leaves. Female cones are large and woody with spirally arranged scales
       that have two winged seeds on each scale.  Male cones are small, and fall soon
       after pollination the pollen is then dispersed by the wind. 

Genus: Picea
    ~Refers to spruce trees which are temperate and evergreen.  Have a conical shape
       and whorled branches with needle-like leaves attached in a spiral arrangement
       directly to the branches.

Species: Picea pungens
    ~Green-blue, 4-angled needles which are sharp and have almost a square cross-
       section, large cones with paper-like scales with irregular tips, gray-brown bark.