Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Common forest trees of North Carolina

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  • wcu_great_smoky_mtns-9676.jpg
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  • FOREST TREES HEMLOCK (Tsuga canadensis Carr.) THE hemlock, sometimes known as hemlock spruce or spruce pine, is a large timber tree, attaining a height of 60 to 100 feet and a diameter of 2 to 4 feet. It is common along streams and on cool slopes throughout the mountains and extends somewhat into the adjoining regions. Its horizontal or ascending branches and drooping twigs, forming a pyramidal crown, make it one of our handsomest and most desirable trees for shade and ornament. The leaves are from one-third to two-thirds of an inch in length, oblong, dark green and lustrous on the upper surface and whitish beneath, and, although spirally arranged, appear to be 2-ranked on the stem; they fall during the third season. The cones are oblong, about three-fourths of an inch long, light brown in color. The cone scales are broadly ovate and about as wide as they are long. The seed is small and winged, maturing in the fall and dropping during the winter. The wood is light, soft, not strong, brittle and splintery. It is used for coarse lumber and for paper pulp. The bark on old trunks is cinnamon-red or dark gray and divided into narrow, rounded ridges, and is one of our chief sources of tannin. The Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana En- gelm.) differs from the above by having its leaves not conspicuously 2-ranked on the twigs but pointing in all directions, giving the tree a rough appearance; while the cone scales are narrow oval, much longer than they are wide. It grows on dry, rocky ridges and cliffs along the Blue Ridge and in northeastern Tennessee. It is a very desirable tree for ornamental planting. 14
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