Tsuga sieboldii
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- SOO-guh see-BOLD-ee-eye
- Description
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Southern Japanese hemlock is a fine-needled evergreen tree in the pine family (Pinaceae) and native to Japan.
Like other hemlocks, southern Japanese hemlock prefers moist well-drained soil and is adaptable to various soil types. It grows best with acid to neutral soil in sun or partial shade. It can grow up to 100 feet tall but usually reaches 50 feet in cultivation. The trunk can be up to 8 feet in diameter. It sometimes grows as a multi-trunked tree and is rather slow growing. The wood from the tree is used for lumber.
It works well as a screen or hedge on a slope or in a meadow, recreational play area or woodland area. It can be grown as an accent tree and is good in Asian gardens where it has been used for bonsai. It provides seeds for birds and wildlife cover for small mammals.
Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to scales, mites and hemlock wooly adelgid, but less so than T. caroliniana.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Tsuga
- Species:
- sieboldii
- Family:
- Pinaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Wood used for lumber
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Japan
- Wildlife Value:
- Provides seeds for birds and wildlife cover
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
- Wildlife Food Source
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Conical
- Dense
- Oval
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Fine
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- 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
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Fruit Description:
- Sessile seed cones are borne on outer branches, green ripening to pale brown, to 1 inch long. Pollen cones are 0.1 to 0.2 inches reddish-brown, maturing yellow, crowded together
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The male flowers are very small at only 2 mm, globular in shape and cherry-red. The female flowers are slightly larger at 5 mm, purple in color and oval.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Leaf Type:
- Needles
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Linear
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Loosely arranged alternate needles are flattened, grooved above, 0.3 to 0.5 inches long, widening gradually toward a notched tip and entire margins. Undersides have two white indistinct stomatal bands.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Scaly
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Square
- Bark Description:
- The bark is gray-brown to gray, rough and scaly forming quadrangular plates.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Braches a smooth and light brown, aging to gray. Buds are small and pointed.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Meadow
- Recreational Play Area
- Slope/Bank
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Asian Garden
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Hedge
- Screen/Privacy
- Attracts:
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
