Mountain Hemlock


Alpine Fir
Alpine Larch
Amabilis Fir
Balsam Poplar/Black Cottonwood
Big Leaf Maple
Black Spruce
Choke Cherry
Pacific Dogwood
Douglas Fir
Douglas Maple
Engelmann Spruce
Garry Oak
Grand Fir
Black Hawthorn
Lodgepole Pine
Mountain Alder
Mountain Hemlock
Pacific Willow
Paper Birch
Ponderosa Pine
Red Alder
Rocky Mountain Juniper
Sitka Spruce
Tamarack Larch
Trembling Aspen
Vine Maple
Western Hemlock
Western Larch
Western Red Cedar
Western White Pine
Western Yew
Whitebark Pine
White Spruce
Yellow Cedar
Animals
Birds
Fish
Wildflowers
Trees
Survival
Parks
Trails





British Columbia Outdoor Wilderness Guide
Mtnhem.Jpg

MOUNTAIN HEMLOCK

tsuga mertensiana
  • 'tsuga' is from 'tsu-ga' the Japanese word for "tree" and "mother", 'mertensiana' is named for the botanist Franz Mertens
  • Mountain Hemlock is also known as Black Hemlock

UNIQUE FEATURES:

  • unlike most conifers, most of the Mountain Hemlock's branches slope upwards at the tips; making them most unsuitable to take refuge under in the rain
  • at higher elevations it is often stunted

LOCATION:

  • Mountain Hemlock grows in coastal mountains, Cariboo, Selkirk and Monashee mountains
  • Mountain Hemlock appears from mid-elevations to timberline
  • Mountain Hemlock occurs where there is a heavy, early snowpack
  • area with only a short growing season
  • can also appear in bogs along the north coast

SIZE:

  • Mountain Hemlock's maximum size is 30 metres

CONES:

  • two or three times longer than those of the western hemlock
  • light to deep purple, green, becoming brown with age
  • cylindrical in shape/narrow at each end
  • pollen cones: bluish

NEEDLES:

  • same size
  • yellow-green to bluish green, glossy
  • densely cover the branches (sprays do not have the flattened appearance of the western hemlock)
  • triangular in a cross section, not flat like the western hemlock

BARK:

  • dark reddish-brown
  • cracked, grooved into narrow ridges

USES:

  • modern - small dimension lumber, pulp

Follow Us On Facebook


List of BC Adventure
Advertisers

Site Info
Advertise With Us
Awards
About Us
Contact Us
Free Vacation Guides
BC Vacation Guides
Coastal Vacations
Thompson Okanagan
EcoTourism
Fishing Vacations
Guest Ranch Guide
Romantic Getaways
Wilderness Vacations
Winter Vacations
The Rockies Guide
Login







Mountain Hemlock