Literary writers have sometimes employed “spruce” as a colorful adjective to evoke a sense of freshness, smartness, and dapper appeal—not merely as a reference to the tree but as a metaphor for a crisp, vibrant appearance. In one instance, a character “looked spruce and gay” [1], suggesting not only a tidy look but one imbued with a lively, almost verdant quality reminiscent of the tree’s own bright hues. Similarly, another character is described as “as smart and spruce as that of his yacht” [2], while elsewhere authors remark on how one can easily “keep oneself spruce” [3] and compare a person’s neat demeanor to the trim quality of a well-maintained figure [4, 5]. In these passages, “spruce” transcends its botanical origins, serving as a vivid color metaphor that conveys a sense of well-kept vigor and sparkling vitality.