Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.
Also known as Hemlock Spruce.
Mature Size: 60 to 100 feet in height and 2 to 4 feet in diameter.
Form: Broad based, pyramid shaped, with branches often drooping and feathery.
Habitat: Common along shady streams and on cool mountain slopes, on soils that are moist but well drained.
Needles
Flat, round-tipped, 1/3 to 2/3 inch long, marked on the lower surface with two pale lines; needle bases form short, slender "stems," attached to rounded, dark orange, woody pads on the twigs.
Flowers
Males yellow, small, round; females light green, at branch tips.
Cones
Light brown, ¾ inch long, with rounded, entire scales, growing on short, slender stalks from the tips of branchlets.
Bark
Gray-brown and smooth when young; when older, scaly, red-brown, with wide ridges and furrows; when cut or broken, purple streaks are obvious.
Twigs
Slender, gray-brown, with very small buds.
Values and Uses
The wood is light, soft, brittle and difficult to work. Although rarely harvested, it can be used for rough or construction lumber and for pulpwood. Hemlock bark was once a source of tannin for the leather industry. Dense hemlock stands are used by deer, grouse and many other wildlife species as cover.
Did You Know?
Hemlock is among the most shade tolerant of all trees, and it may live more than 800 years. Unfortunately, the hemlock woolly adelgid, an introduced insect, is taking a heavy toll on this species. A related species, Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana) can be clipped into hedges and is often grown as an ornamental.
