Tsuga canadensis

Object Details

See more items in: Smithsonian Gardens Tree Collection
On Display: Hirshhorn Museum

Accession Number: 2011-0206A

Description: Between 1880 and 1930, Canadian hemlock was an important part of the leather industry. Trees were felled into lakes, and then their bark was removed for tannin and the wood sent to mills. Now, this tree which was so prevalent in eastern woods is under attack by a tiny, sucking insect - the hemlock woolly adelgid. This relative of the aphid has killed most of the old growth hemlocks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 95% of the hemlocks in Shenandoah National Park, and has spread to the Appalachians and Allegheny National Park. A specialized beetle has been developed to attack these non-native pests in the hope of preserving this important tree.
Hardiness: -40 - 10 F
Attracts: Birds
Ethnobotanical Uses: Once used for tanning leather. Some Native Americans used part of this plant to make bread and other foods. Some Native Americans and white settlers also made a tea from the leaves for its high vitamin C content.
Provenance: Uncertain

Topic: Trees; Living Collections

Range: E Canada to NC and E USA
Habitat: Moist cool valleys, moist flats, northern and eastern slopes, coves, benches, ravines, swamps; 0-1500 meters

Life Form: Evergreen tree
Average Height: 40-70'
Bark Characteristics: Brown, matures from smooth, to flaky, to having wide ridges.
Cone Characteristics: Ovoid, light brown cones with ovate scales that often project outward. .5-1" long.
Foliage Characteristics: Spirally arranged, flattened needles are dark green above with 2 white bands on the underside. Minutely serrulate margins. .25-.75" long.
Structure: Pyramidal

Data Source: Smithsonian Gardens

Common Name: Canadian Hemlock
Group: [vascular plants]
Class: Equisetopsida
Subclass: Pinidae
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Tsuga
Species: canadensis

Restrictions & Rights: Usage conditions apply

Metadata Usage: Not determined

GUID

Record ID: ofeo-sg_2011-0206A

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