Scientific Classification Kingdom...: Plantae Division...: Pinophyta Class...: Pinopsida Order...: Pinales Family...: Pinaceae Genus...: Tsuga  Species...: Tsuga Canadensis

The Canadian Hemlock or Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis) is a coniferous evergreen native to eastern North America. 

It ranges from northeastern Minnesota eastward through southern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia and Alabama. 

It is the state tree of Pennsylvania.

The Tsuga Canadensis generally reaches heights of about 100 feet, but some have reached 173 feet tall.  The diameter of the trunk at breast height is often 5 feet, but again, some have been recorded up to 6 feet.

The eastern hemlock grows well in shade and is very long lived with the oldest recorded specimen being at least 554 years old.

The trunk is usually straight and monopodial, but very rarely is forked.  The crown is broadly conic, while the browinsh bark is scaly and deeply fissured, especially with age.

The twigs are a yellow-brown in color with darker red-brown pulvini, and are densely pubescent. The buds are ovoid in shape and are very small, measuring only 0.05 to 0.1 inch in length.

The leaves are typically 0.6 to 0.9 inches in length. They are flattened and are typically distichous, or two-ranked. The abaxial surface of the leaf, or underside, is glaucous with 2 broad and clearly visible stomatal bands, while the adaxial surface, i.e. the upper-side, is a shiny green to yellow-green in color. The leaf margins are very slightly dentate, or toothed, especially near the apex. 

The seed cones are ovoid in shape and typically measure 0.6 to 1 inch in length and 0.4 to 0.6 inch in width. The scales are ovate to cuneate in shape and measure 0.3 to 0.5 inch in length by 0.3 to 0.4 inch in width. The apex is more or less rounded and is often projected outward.

Tsuga Canadensis has long been a popular tree in cultivation. The tree is equally tolerant of full shade and full sun, making it a versatile tree.

In addition, its very fine textured foliage that droops to the ground, its pyrimidal growth habit and its ability to withstand hard pruning make it a desirable ornamental tree. In cultivation it prefers sites that are slightly acidic to neutral with nutrient-rich soil that is moist but well-drained. It is most often used as a specimen, for a screen, or in small group plantings, though it can also be trained as a dense formal hedge.