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THE GARDEN SAGEA library of living things
Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion

Eastern hemlock

Tsuga canadensis

Leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.◐ Part sun or part shade · ☾ ShadeJina Lee ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.

Beautiful native shade conifer but hemlock woolly adelgid requires long-term monitoring/management.

Sun Exposure
Part sun–shade
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
40–70
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
25–35
BLOOM SEASON
Spring
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Get to know this plant.

Identification clue 1

Short flat needles

Identification clue 2

Two pale bands beneath

Identification clue 3

Small hanging cones

Read the leaves

Needles attach singly around the twig but usually lie in a mostly flat spray. Turn them over to inspect the two pale bands.

More growing details

Read the bark

Older bark develops dark reddish-brown ridges and deep furrows.

Fruit & seed

Small ovoid cones hang from twigs; their compact size helps separate hemlock from many spruces.

Winter character

Evergreen flat sprays and short hanging cones remain useful.

Origin & place

The species occurs naturally in the southern Appalachian region; a planted specimen is not evidence of wild local origin.

Compare with Carolina hemlock

Carolina hemlock tends to have longer needles spreading more around the twig and larger cones.

WNC Notes

Beautiful native shade conifer but hemlock woolly adelgid requires long-term monitoring/management.

Sun Exposure

Part sun–shade

MATURE HEIGHT (FT)

40–70

MATURE WIDTH (FT)

25–35

BLOOM SEASON

Spring

BLOOM COLOR

Inconspicuous

FALL / WINTER COLOR

Evergreen

Wet-Soil Tolerance

Low–moderate

Drought Tolerance

Low

LOOK CLOSELY

Two views, a closer look.

Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.

Leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.◐ Part sun or part shade · ☾ ShadeJina Lee ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
Bark — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
Bark — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.◐ Part sun or part shade · ☾ ShadeDerek Ramsey ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.
Cones — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
Cones — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.◐ Part sun or part shade · ☾ ShadeKeith Kanoti, Maine Forest Service, USA ↗ · CC BY 3.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.

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