Botanical Name: Tsuga heterophylla
Common Name: Western Hemlock
Family: Pinaceae
Distribution/Origin: Native to Pacific Northwest. Canada: Alberta and British Columbia; USA: Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California
Leaf/Bud: evergreen, very dark green, two ranked, prominent stomatal band
Flower/Fruit/Seed: small, pendulous, small brown round cone
Stem/Bark: densely furrowed brown/grey bark, high tannin content, indigenous peoples used the bark as a tanning agents, pigment and cleansing solution
Size: height 50-70m. Outstanding examples can be found throughout the lowlands of Olympic National Park in WA and at Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island, BC
Habit: upright, descending tip
Form: erect form with a descending tip
Culture: epiphyte, grows on nurse logs under Douglas fir trees
Notes: self prunes in wind - breaks, gymnosperm. Western hemlock is the state tree of Washington