In the real world, there are 35 different species of spruce - almost all of which are found in the coldest parts of the northern hemisphere. Spruce trees can grow up to sixty metres tall, and have thin, needle-like leaves that don't fall off in the winter.
These needles help the tree survive - they hold more water than a regular leaf, resist ice and snow, capture sunlight the whole year round, and are tough for insects to eat. I have learnt to my great pain that they also have a tendency to stick to your socks at Christmas and then jab into your foot when you're least expecting it.
The English name for spruce comes from Polish. In the late Middle Ages, traders from Prussia (which is now Poland) brought a lot of the wood to England, and so it became known as "z Prus", which means "from Prussia". Today, spruce wood is used mainly in construction, where it's tough and pretty plentiful. The Wright Brothers' "the Flyer" - the first aircraft to be flown - was made out of spruce. It's also used in paper-making and to make the soundboard in lots of musical instruments. And Christmas trees, of course, are often spruces.
But the fun fact that I'll leave you with this week is that spruce needles are actually full of vitamin C, which means that you can boil them into a tea for drinking to ward off scurvy in places where you can't get much fruit and veg. Tea is great. Why haven't we added tea to Minecraft yet? We should add tea to Minecraft. I'm off to drink some tea. BYE.
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