Spruce Pine Tsuga canadensis
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Spruce Pine:
- Phonetic Spelling
- SOO-guh ka-na-DEN-sis
- Description
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Eastern Hemlock is an evergreen tree that may grow 40-80 feet tall or even to 100 feet in the pine family. It is native to eastern and central Canada and the USA and is found primarily in the mountains of NC and one small area of the Piedmont. The leaves are flat with single needles that have two lines of white stomata on the underside. The bark is gray-brown and scaly in young trees. As the tree ages, wide ridges and furrows develop. In spring, small yellow male and small light green female flowers mature. The tree produces a 3/4-inch cone that matures in the fall. Its wood, although soft and brittle, is harvested for lumber and pulp.
The conical shape, lacy effect of the leaves and branches the dip toward the ground give this tree a graceful effect. It grows best in part shade to full shade and can be used as an understory tree. It grows best in cool summer areas and doesn't tolerate the heat and humidity of the southeast. Eastern Hemlock needs moist but well-drained soils and doesn't tolerate drought.
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.
Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: A healthy plant in the proper environment has few problems. Potential disease problems for plants in the genus Tsuga include needle blight (needles turn yellow and die), canker, rusts, and rots. Potential insect problems include bagworms, borers, leaf miners, sawfly and spider mites. The foliage may scorch in very hot weather. A prolonged drought can be fatal to this tree.
Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a tiny (1/32”) sap-sucking insect (a relative of the aphid) that has recently become a serious threat to the survival of native hemlocks in the wild in the eastern United States. HWA was accidentally introduced into the U. S. in the 1920s from Eastern Asia. It has been known to exist in the Pacific Northwest since 1927 but was first observed in the forests of Virginia in the 1950s. It has now spread from Virginia into the southern and middle Appalachians. The inability to survive cold winters has so far substantially limited HWA’s northern spread to as far as Massachusetts, but northward expansion into much of New England is expected as winter temperatures continue to moderate. HWA has killed most of the old-growth hemlocks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and 95% of the hemlocks in Shenandoah National Park. HWA was discovered in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny National Park in November of 2013. Treatment of HWA is available (pesticides containing imidacloprid or dinotefuran), but control of this pest is very difficult.
Quick ID
- Branches in flat planes
- Linear leaves with 2 glaucous bands below
- Occasional leaf upside-down along minor twigs
- Pendulous ovoid cones from branches
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:
- Michael McCarthy Memorial Garden, All Saints Episcopal, Concord
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Curly'
- 'Gentsch White'
- 'Pendula'
- 'Sargenti Pendula'
Shrubby form - 'Curly'
- 'Curly', 'Gentsch White', 'Jeddeloh', 'Pendula', 'Sargenti Pendula'
- Tags:









- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Curly'
- 'Gentsch White'
- 'Pendula'
- 'Sargenti Pendula'
Shrubby form - 'Curly'
- 'Curly', 'Gentsch White', 'Jeddeloh', 'Pendula', 'Sargenti Pendula'
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Tsuga
- Species:
- canadensis
- Family:
- Pinaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The cambium was 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, were used by Native Americans and settlers for tea. The bark was used for tannin for leather.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- E. Canada to N. Central & E. U.S.A.
- 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. - 133 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 15 ft. 0 in. - 30 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:
- Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- 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, 4b, 4a, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7b, 7a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Cream/Tan
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- 3/4 inch light brown oval seed cones with scales often projected outward
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- In the spring, small yellow male and small light green female flowers mature. Flowers bloom from March to April.
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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 apex.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Red/Burgundy
- Surface/Attachment:
- Ridges
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Round
- Bark Description:
- The thick and ridged bark on mature trees is red-brown to gray-brown.
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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:
- Naturalized Area
- Recreational Play Area
- Slope/Bank
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Children's Garden
- Native Garden
- Shade Garden
- Design Feature:
- Hedge
- Screen/Privacy
- Shade Tree
- Understory Tree
- Attracts:
- Moths
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Heavy Shade