Four-sided, stiff, sharply pointed needles. Woody petioles remain on branch after needles fall. Yellowish-brown buds with papery scales that resemble a dried flower. Younger twigs are yellowish tan and glabrous. Staminate cones orange and pistillate cones greenish-yellow.
One of the most striking of the conifers in color and habit, 'Hoopsii' is an especially glaucous blue, dense, pyramidal, and good-performing cultivar. Some drought tolerance. Cost of most glaucous forms is high because they are produced by grafting and then intensively pruned to shape in nursery rows. Must be used with restraint because the strong blue color does not combine well with other plantings in the landscape. Some susceptibility to Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgid (Adelges cooleyi).