Eastern Hemlock

LEAVES: Evergreen needles occur singly, appearing 2-ranked on twigs, flattened, about 1/2″ long, dark green and glossy, light green with 2 white lines below.

TWIGS: Slender, tough, yellowish brown to grayish brown. Buds eggshaped, 1/16″ long, reddish brown.

FRUIT: Cones 3/4″ long, egg-shaped, hanging singly from the tips of twigs. Under each scale are 2 small, winged seeds.

BARK: Flaky on young trees, gray brown to red brown, thick and roughly grooved when older.

GENERAL: A large, long-lived tree, important for construction timber and as a source of tannic acid for tanning leather. Found in cool, moist woods throughout the Commonwealth, Eastern hemlock is the offical state tree of Pennsylvania. Ruffled grouse, wild turkey and songbirds find food (seeds) and shelter in this tree. Deer browse it heavily when deep snow makes other food scarce.