mountain hemlock
Pinaceae (Pine family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
© Dave Ingram (Photo ID #26824)
Introduction
This is an evergreen coniferous tree species that is common in western BC at high elevations.
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Species Information
General:
Tree, seldom to 40 m tall, much shorter near tree-line; narrow crown, with slightly drooping leader (growing tip), less evident with age; twigs strongly hairy with mix of short and long hairs; bark thick, strongly furrowed and ridged, dark purplish- to reddish-brown.
Leaves:
Needles thickened in centre and somewhat 4-sided, round to blunt at tip, (10) 12-20 mm long, spread around branches to somewhat upturned, not forming flat sprays; yellow-green to deep blue-green, stomata on both surfaces, rarely whitish.
Cones:
Seed cones maturing from green or purple to dark brown, (2.5) 3-6 (7) cm long, cylindric with narrowed ends; pollen cones bluish, 3-4 mm long.
Notes:
See above for hybridization with T. heterophylla.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Early Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
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|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
980 | 5 | 2500 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
29 | 0 | 130 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
241 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
4 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
2010 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
MH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(3), CMA(17), CWH(675), ESSF(427), ICH(60), IDF(4), MH(737), MS(15), SBS(3), SWB(1) | ||
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Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
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Habitat and Range
Wet to dry slopes in the lowland to subalpine zones; common at high elevations along W BC and infrequent in SE BC and lower elevations of NW BC coast; N to SE AK and S to C CA, N ID and W MT.Status Information
Taxonomic Keys
1. Needles flattened in cross section, grooved and greenish on upper surface, with two white (stomatiferous) bands below, tending to form flat spray-like branches; cones egg-shaped, 1.5-2.5 cm long......................Tsuga heterophylla
1. Needles nearly semi-circular in cross section (flat on top), bluish-green on both surfaces, not forming flat spray-like branches, but spreading in all directions; cones cylindric, narrowed at each end, 3.7 cm long........................Tsuga mertensiana Source: the Illustrated Flora of British Columbia |