Tsuga heterophylla

Western hemlock

Family: Pinaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Western hemlock is a native shrub found in northern coastal California, western Klamath Range, and northwestern coastal regions in scattered northern coastal conifer to mixed-evergreen forests at elevations generally below 700 meters. Its small evergreen needles are persistent for 4 to 7 years, typically 5 to 20 millimeters long with blunt or rounded tips. Growing as a substantial tree potentially reaching 50 meters tall with a trunk up to 2.7 meters wide, it develops thin red-brown bark with narrow grooves and wide ridges as it matures. The tree's twigs are characteristically hairy, giving the branches a soft, textured appearance. Its dense, compact growth form creates distinctive layered branching typical of hemlock forests in coastal California.

Habitat: Scattered in northern coastal conifer to mixed-evergreen forests

Elevation: generally < 700 m

Bioregions: NCo, w KR, NCoRO

California counties: Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte, Mono, Sonoma

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.