Family: Pinaceae

Common Name:  western hemlock

Origin/Ecology: Native to BC

Habit: Widely pyramidal, stiffly upright, growing >30 m tall, 25 m wide. Tree-top ‘nods’ and droops to one side. Branches thin and wire-like.

Leaves: Flat, most < 15 mm long, with 2 white stomatal lines on underside. Smaller needles stick up on top, all different sizes, waxy on back. Borne on pegs.

Leaf Arrangement: spiral

Flowers and Fruit: Cones <2 cm, abundant, oval, brown.

Bark: Grey-brown, deeply fissured.

Water Use, Soil: Acidic, well-drained

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Landscape Uses: Forestry, hedge row, reclamation, sheared hedge, specimen, tall background

Limitations: Dieback, mites, root rot, rust, scale insects, mistletoe, heteroptera – true bugs, adelgid.

Other Features: