Tsuga mertensiana (Mountain Hemlock)

Plant Description: Mountain Hemlock is a slow growing native conifer that is highly adaptable to sun and shade as long as its site is moist. Overall cone shaped with drooping branches. Cones are pendulous and cylindrical, often purple when young before turning brown. Needles are flat and deep green. Very long lived and well adapted to severe cold. 

Needles and bark have historically been used by Indigenous people in teas to treat colds, as poultices to treat burns, sores, and cuts. *NEVER CONSUME PLANTS WITHOUT PROPER ID*

• Height: 30-100 ft ft
• Width: 1-3 ft trunk
• Watering needs: moderate
• Sun needs: Full shade to full sun
• Soil needs: moist, rich
• Portland Plant List (Backyard Habitat Certification): No

Landscape Use and Ecological Function: Mountain Hemlocks thrive in moist, nutrient rich soil, helping to stabilize streambanks and wet slopes. Hemlocks provide excellent habitat for nesting birds who enjoy the seeds and find thermal coverage from the trees. 

*Photos courtesy of Seven Oaks Nursery*