western hemlock Pinaceae Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.   symbol: TSHE
	Leaf: Evergreen, flattened, single needles, spirally arranged (but somewhat 2-ranked); short (1/4 to 3/4 inch long), rounded tips, short but distinct petioles, two distinctly different sizes that alternate on the twig, yellow-green to green above with two white bands below. Flower: Monoecious; male cones are tiny, yellow, and occur axillary on previous year's growth; female cones are tiny, purple, and terminal. Fruit: Small, woody, egg-shaped cones (about 1 inch long) with numerous thin, imbricate scales; pendent, sessile, and terminal; reddish brown; mature in one season, abundant. Twig: Slender, flexible, and minutely pubescent, roughened by diagonally-raised and rounded leaf scars. Bark: Young bark is thin, superficially scaly, and brown to black; on mature trees bark is thin (about 1 inch) with flattened ridges; inner bark is dark red streaked with purple. Form: A large evergreen conifer that reaches 200 feet tall and 4 feet in diameter, mature trees have a pyramidal crown and lacy foliage that droops at the terminal ends.
	USDAFS Silvics of North America - USDAFS Additional Silvics - Landowner Factsheet - USDA Plants Database Tsuga heterophylla is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting western hemlock (opens a new window).