Canada hemlock Tsuga canadensis
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- SOO-guh ka-na-DEN-sis
- Description
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Eastern hemlock is a woody, needled evergreen tree in the Pinaceae (pine) family. It is native to eastern and central Canada and the United States. In North Carolina, it is found primarily in the mountains and in a small area located in Piedmont.
Eastern hemlock needs moist but well-drained, somewhat acidic soils in sun to part shade. It grows best in areas with cooler summers and doesn't tolerate drought. Trees can endure pruning as a hedge but look best unpruned. Propagate from seeds gathered from cones just beginning to open; provide moist chilling for 100 days before planting.
A beautiful conical evergreen with drooping branches and tiny cones, the healthy eastern hemlock makes a lovely specimen tree in a home landscape. Individual trees can reach heights of 40 to 70 feet and widths of 25 to 35 feet, so dwarf cultivars are best for home landscapes.
Fire Risk: This plant has a high flammability rating and should not be planted within the defensible space of your home. Select plants with a low flammability rating for the sites nearest your home.
Seasons of Interest:
Foliage: Year-round Fruit: Fall and Winter
Quick ID Hints:
- needles grow in flat planes along the main branches
- linear green needles spirally arranged
- underside of needles has two parallel pale (glaucous) bands
- mature brown ovoid cones that are 0.75-inches long and hang from twig tips
Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Hemlock wooly adelgid is a major pest. Other insect problems include elongate hemlock scale, hemlock borer, fir flat-headed borer, hemlock looper, hemlock rust mite, hemlock sawfly, bagworms, spider mites, gypsy moths, spruce budworm, spruce leaf miner, and grape scale. Disease problems include leaf (needle) blight, cankers, blister and needle rusts, and sapwood rot. Environmental problems include sun scorch in hot weather and sensitivity to drought.
VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Mountain Ridge Top Garden - West Lawn and Border Michael McCarthy Memorial Garden, All Saints Episcopal, Concord
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Curly'
- 'Gentsch White'
dwarf shrub, slow growing, up to 4.5 feet tall, silver white needles on the tips of branches - 'Gracilis'
- 'Pendula'
shrub, 2 feet tall, 5 feet wide, weeping habit - 'Sargentii'
10'-12' tall 20'-30' wide, dense, weeping, great form
Shrubby form - 'Curly'
- 'Curly', 'Gentsch White', 'Gracilis', 'Jeddeloh', 'Pendula', 'Sargentii'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Curly'
- 'Gentsch White'
dwarf shrub, slow growing, up to 4.5 feet tall, silver white needles on the tips of branches - 'Gracilis'
- 'Pendula'
shrub, 2 feet tall, 5 feet wide, weeping habit - 'Sargentii'
10'-12' tall 20'-30' wide, dense, weeping, great form
Shrubby form - 'Curly'
- 'Curly', 'Gentsch White', 'Gracilis', 'Jeddeloh', 'Pendula', 'Sargentii'
- Tags:
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-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Tsuga
- Species:
- canadensis
- Family:
- Pinaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The cambium is used by Native Americans for breads and soups as well as with dried fruit and animal fat for pemmican. The leaves, which are high in vitamin C, are also used for tea. The bark was once used for tannin for leather production.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- North Central and Eastern U.S.A., Eastern Canada
- Fire Risk Rating:
- high flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- It provides winter and extreme weather coverage. Red crossbills and small mammals eat the seeds. Ruffled grouse eat the buds and white-tailed deer browse the foilage in winter. It is an important thermal cover component along streams for amphibians and fish. It also provides cover and shelter for turkey and white-tailed deer.
- Play Value:
- Pieces Used in Games
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- This tree is moderately resistant to damage from deer.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 25 ft. 0 in. - 35 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Conical
- Dense
- Erect
- Pyramidal
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Fine
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
- Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 24-60 feet
- more than 60 feet
- NC Region:
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The young female cones are green, oval, and have closed scales. As the cones mature, they are brown and 3/4-inch long. The scales will open to release their seeds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Description:
- No flowers. Pollen cones yellow rounded bumps that resemble a blackberry 1/8" across are found in groups near the tips of branches.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Cream/Tan
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Needles
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Acicular
- Leaf Margin:
- Dentate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves are small ½-inch glossy needles that have a white underside in 2 opposite rows. Its needles are attached by slender stalks ending with woody pads. The margins minutely dentate, especially toward the apex. The linear green needles are spirally arranged around the branch. Along the main branches, some needles are laying on their backs.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Red/Burgundy
- Surface/Attachment:
- Fissured
- Ridges
- Scaly
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Round
- Bark Description:
- On mature trees, the bark is reddish-brown to grayish-brown with a thick, scaly, or ridged surface with irregular fissures.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Twigs yellow-brown, densely pubescent. Stems slender, gray-brown in color; buds are very small.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Naturalized Area
- Recreational Play Area
- Slope/Bank
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Children's Garden
- Native Garden
- Shade Garden
- Design Feature:
- Hedge
- Screen/Privacy
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Understory Tree
- Attracts:
- Moths
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Black Walnut
- Deer
- Heavy Shade
