Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

Form

Height 60 to 100 feet and diameter of 2 to 4 feet; branches spreading and nearly horizontal; pyramid-shaped with drooping top shoot in young trees and with rounded top on large, mature trees.

Bark

1/2 to 3/4 inches thick; varying from cinnamon-red to grey in color; with deep furrows separating the broad, flattened scales.

Leaf

Needles 1/3 to 2/3 inches in length; flat; rounded to notched at tip; yellowish-green with 2 whitish bands underneath; a 2-ranked arrangement; twigs roughened by woody, raised projections (sterigmata) where needles attach to twigs. Most buds are scaly and not resinous.

Fruit

Cones 1/2 to 3/4 inches in length; scales thin and almost as broad as long; matures in one season. Seeds are winged, slightly resinous and about 1/16 inches long.

Range

Native to northeastern quarter of the state, isolated stands occur on cool north slopes in Columbia, Sauk and Vernon counties. It grows on the better and moister soils, often in mixtures with hardwoods.

Wood

Light reddish-brown; soft, coarse, brittle, splintering, and not durable; largely manufactured into coarse lumber for general construction lumber.

Notes

Heavily browsed by deer; inner-bark once used for tanning leather; oil of hemlock distilled from young branches.