Hemlock:
(Peter Tomlin)
Family:
Pinacea
Genus:
Tsuga
The genus Tsuga does not contain many species. Four species grow in the
Americas and there are others in Asia. The one chiefly cultivated in this
country for the timber and paper trade is Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla).
It originates in western Canada and western United States of America.
The young tree is noted for its tolerance of shade and can be planted amongst a crop of mature trees.
The tree has branches less rigid than the spruce and young twigs are reddish in colour. At the top of the tree, the leading shoot droops noticeably. Needles are fresh green in colour and grow at different angles from the twig and are short and soft and are attached to small, spongey cushions.
The sawn timber resembles spruce to some extent, but lacks the lustre seen in spruce and the growth rings appear as lead-pencil lines. In the timber merchant's yard it is often acceptably mixed with spruce. In Canada and America, where it grows in abundance, it is used also for pulp.