Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
Identifying Features
Plant Family: Pinaceae
Native Range: Northeastern North America
Leaf: evergreen, needles opposite in flat rows, ½ to ¾ inch long, needles flat and blunt-tipped, undersides have two silvery-blue parallel lines
Twig and Bud: twigs brown and hairy
Flower, Fruit and Seed: seed cones to ¾ inch long on short stalks
Bark: brown, flaky when young, flat-ridged with maturity
Shape and Mature Height: pyramidal in shape, lower limbs dip towards the ground and turn up at tips, grows to 70 feet
Garden Value and Considerations
Eastern hemlock likes acidic, moist, well-drained soil and grows best in shade. They grow naturally in cool ravines and on north-facing slopes. They are intolerant of drought, wet soils, and pollution. A serious concern for hemlocks is the hemlock woolly adelgid. This sap-sucking insect has caused widespread death to hemlocks in the eastern United States.
Notes
Eastern hemlocks are valuable to wildlife as a food source and shelter. The seeds are eaten by red squirrels and birds, including chickadees, crossbills, northern flickers, dark-eyed juncos, American goldfinches and pine siskins. Ruffed grouse and wild turkey may roost in the low branches of hemlocks. White-tailed deer use hemlock groves during periods of high snowfall. Several warbler species have a preference for nesting in hemlock trees.
