Tsuga Carrière (Pinaceae)

A genus of about fourteen species of trees; e. Asia (China, Japan, and Taiwan), e. North America, and w. North America.

Two species occur in North Carolina; both are considered native to the state.

1. Most of the leaves 8-13 mm long, those originating from the sides and lower surface of the twig spreading more or less distichously in a horizontal plane, normally sized, those borne on the upper surface of the twig more or less appressed, dwarf, mostly 1/6 to 1/2 as long as the adjacent lateral leaves, 1-3 (-6) mm long, the whitened undersurface (consisting of rows of stomata) exposed upward; leaf margins minutely serrulate; leaf apices obtuse to rounded; female (seed) cones 12-25 mm long, the ovuliferous scales ascending, even at maturity...T. canadensis (Eastern hemlock)

Bark of Tsuga canadensis(Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Twig of Tsuga canadensis(Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Leaves of Tsuga canadensis(Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Leaves of Tsuga canadensis (Copyright W. Cook)

Branches of Tsuga canadensis (Copyright W. Cook)

Twig of Tsuga canadensis (Copyright W. Cook)

Twigs of Tsuga canadensis (Copyright W. Cook)

Twigs of Tsuga canadensis (Copyright W. Cook)

Female cone of Tsuga canadensis (Copyright W. Cook)

Immature female cone of Tsuga canadensis (Copyright W. Cook)

Immature female cones of Tsuga canadensis (Copyright W. Cook)

Immature female cones of Tsuga canadensis (Copyright W. Cook)

Seeds of Tsuga canadensis(coming soon)

N.C. distribution of Tsuga canadensis

U.S. distribution of Tsuga canadensis

Tsuga canadensis (Eastern hemlock)
(Common [rare in Pd]; in a wide variety of habitats in the Mt, most typically and abundantly in moist sites in ravines or coves along streams, but likely to be found in all but the driest habitats between 300 and 1500 m [even occurring in peaty bogs, where it has a sickly yellow color and short life expectancy]; in the western Pd of NC limited to progressively rarer microhabitats [primarily north-facing river bluffs], reaching its eastward limit in NC at a disjunct stand at Hemlock Bluff State Natural Area, Wake County; Mt, Pd; Fl: Mar-Apr, Fr: Sep-Nov)

1. Most of the leaves 10-18 mm long, those originating from the sides and lower surface of the twig spreading more or less distichously in a horizontal plane, normally sized, those borne on the upper surface of the twig not appressed, spreading at a 60-90 degree angle from the twig, more or less normally sized, mostly 3/4 to as long as the adjacent lateral leaves, 8-15 mm long, the whitened undersurface [consisting of rows of stomata] not exposed upward; leaf margins entire; leaf apices minutely retuse [notched], truncate, or rounded; female cones 20-38 mm long, the ovuliferous scales spreading at a right angle to the axis at maturity...T. caroliniana (Carolina hemlock)

Bark of Tsuga caroliniana (Copyright W. Cook)

Twig of Tsuga caroliniana(Photo: Krings, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Leaves of Tsuga caroliniana (Copyright W. Cook)

Leaves of Tsuga caroliniana (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Tsuga caroliniana(coming soon)

Seeds of Tsuga caroliniana(coming soon)

N.C. distribution of Tsuga caroliniana

U.S. distribution of Tsuga caroliniana

Tsuga caroliniana (Carolina hemlock)
(Uncommon [rare in Pd]; primarily in open forests on ridge tops, rocky bluffs, or gorge walls, generally in drier and rockier sites than T. canadensis, but the two sometimes growing in close proximity or even intermixed in humid gorges; very limited in the western Piedmont, apparently reaching its eastern limit in NC at Hanging Rock State Park, Stokes County, and ranging east to Halifax County in the Pd of VA; Mt, Pd; Fl: Mar-Apr, Fr: Aug-Sep)