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Mountain hemlock
Tsuga mertensiana
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 A subalpine tree with only a slightly drooping leader or top; rarely grows more than 30
metres tall and is often stunted at high elevations.
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Leaves
Needles are uniform in size, glossy, and yellow-green to deep
bluish-green. They cover the branches densely on all sides or may be mostly upturned. |
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Cones
Seed cones are light to deep purple (sometimes green), narrow at each end
and longer than those of western hemlock. Pollen cones are bluish.Bark
Dark reddish-brown, cracked and grooved into narrow ridges. |
Where to find
mountain hemlock
It grows at mid elevations to timberline in the coastal mountains and at
low elevations further north. In the Interior, it grows in the Cariboo, Selkirk and
Monashee mountains. |
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Habitat
Mountain hemlock grows with amabilis fir and yellow-cedar on the coast and
Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir in the Interior. It is found in areas that have a deep,
insulating snowpack that accumulates early in the fall; it probably cannot grow where the
soil freezes. It also grows in bogs along the mid to north coast.Uses
Commercial uses include small dimension lumber and pulp.
Notes
Mertensiana is named for Franz Karl Mertens, a German botanist. |
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