Description
Tsuga – Hemlock –
There are 8 to 11 elegant evergreen monoecious, coniferous conical to pyramidal medium to large trees in the Pinaceae family, in this genus. They naturally occur in forest, 4 to 6 in Eastern Asia and 4 from North America. They produce flattened, usually linear leaves, with elevated mid vein beneath, are radially arranged or 2 ranked, and vary in length along the shoots. The small egg-oblong to almost spherical, terminal, pale to mid brown female cones become pendent as they mature, similar to those of Picea and drop off in the 2nd year, the male cones have few scales, and are almost spherical, up to 1/4″ across, and borne at the tips of lateral shoots. The bark is scaly and deeply furrowed with color ranging from gray to brown. Excellent specimen trees and very shade tolerant, especially when young, many are suitable for hedging. Dwarf cultivars are all good for bonsai work and shady rock gardens..
Grow in humus rich, moist but well drained, acidic to slightly alkaline soil in full sun or partial shade. They dislike urban environments or very exposed positions. Trim hedges from early to late summer.
Prone to gray mold (Botrytis), butt rot, rust, needle blights, snow blight, weevils, mites, aphids, and woolly adelgid.
T. chinensis – Chinese Hemlock – This broadly conical to domed tree from Central China grows 70-140′ feet tall and 80-100′ feet wide. It has peeling, deeply fissured, blackish brown bark. From green yellow shoots, which become yellow tinged gray with age, carry linear, smooth edged, or toothed, slightly tapered, glossy, dark green leaves, grooved and keeled, up to 1″ long, in 2 ranked, with light green to white bands beneath. Ovoid-oblong female cones are up to 1″ long.
Zones 5-9
