Tsuga mertensiana

Mountain hemlock, Mountain Hemlock

Family: Pinaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Mountain hemlock is a native shrub found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, California Ranges, Sierra Nevada, North Coast Ranges, and northern Sierra Nevada eastern areas in subalpine and cold areas of red-fir and mixed-conifer forests at elevations of 1,200 to 3,500 meters. While no specific flowering time is noted, the plant is characterized by distinctive trunk characteristics, growing to less than 35 meters tall with trunks up to 2.2 meters wide that become prostrate at timberline. Its mature bark displays a rich red- or purple-brown coloration with narrow grooves between narrow ridges, creating a textured appearance. The tree produces short, persistent leaves 10 to 25 millimeters long with rounded tips that remain on branches for less than 7 years. At timberline, mountain hemlock often takes on a distinctive prostrate growth form, adapting to harsh alpine conditions with its uniquely shaped trunk and resilient foliage.

Habitat: Subalpine, some scattered in cold areas of red-fir, mixed-conifer forest

Elevation: 1200-3500 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRH, CaRH, SNH, MP, n SNE

California counties: El Dorado, Plumas, Mono, Fresno, Mariposa, Madera, Alpine, Nevada, Tuolumne, Amador, Placer, Trinity, Siskiyou, Shasta, Lassen, Tehama, Sierra, Humboldt, Modoc, Inyo, Tulare

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