Lushootseed Name: t̕əq̓ədiʔac (ts-i-ck-ah-paw)

Location: East of Benson Hall, near the South east corner.

Summary: Here we arrive at the State tree of Washington, with its bright green needles and drooping boughs. The Western Hemlock thrives in the shadows, germinating in low light and growing slowly in the understory (sometimes for centuries) until the falling of a mature tree suddenly lets in sunlight. At this point, the Western Hemlock’s growth will increase, and they can achieve heights of greater than 200’ and diameters of up to around 11’. This species is, therefore, the largest type of Hemlock in the world! While substantial, these trees are still frequently dwarfed by nearby Sitka Spruce along the state’s coastline, and by Douglas-fir in the Cascades. When you are a tree, being shorter than your neighbors can pose a significant problem. Energy comes from sunlight, and a tree in the shade cannot simply move to another location (being rooted in place). In the case of the Western Hemlock, the species employs several key adaptations to boost its chances of survival in the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest. These trees generally begin producing cones between 25-30 years of age, and then continue doing so at a prodigious rate until dead. In some Hemlock forests this amounts to about 8 million seeds per acre annually. This production of seed often results in a huge number of saplings germinating on the moist shady floor of the forest, especially upon the nutrient-rich remains of nurse logs. Thus, even if the overwhelming majority of seedlings are killed, there is a greater chance that some will make it through the difficult early years and rise slowly to the forest canopy. Once large, Western Hemlock can maintain its place by suppressing the growth of larger competitors. The variably-sized leaves of the species are well suited for capturing even the smallest bits of sunlight, creating a dense shade beneath these trees which prevents the growth of other less shade-tolerant conifers. This dense canopy is also a magnificent natural umbrella, providing shelter on a wet day.

Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest traditionally use this tree as a source of medicine to treat tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, and hemorrhage. Fresh new growth is an excellent source of vitamin C, and mature needles can be brewed into a tea to extract this important compound as well (although they should not be steeped longer than a few minutes). The outer bark can be used for a dye and the inner bark may serve as a survival food. A versatile species, these magnificent trees are found from Alaska all the way south to northern California. They are much prized by the timber industry. Unfortunately, much of the natural range for this species is within easy reach for harvesting, and unlike the high mountain forest of Mountain Hemlock, only a limited area of old-growth Western Hemlock forests remains. 

Historical Background: Western hemlock is the Washington state tree and is the most common tree in Alaska and on the B.C. coast. Coastal Native Tribes use this tree for food, medicine, and for dye. The Quileute use the tannins to dye leather. The Kwakwaka’wakw steep the bark in urine to produce a black dye. Hemlock boughs were also incorporated into their clothing such as skirts and headdresses. The Nuxalk and Chehalis also create a dye with the bark to turn fishnets brown so they are invisible in the water. 

Native

Native Range: Alaska to the Central Sierra of California and to northern California along the Pacific Coast

Identifying Features light: The sweeping delicate boughs and drooping foliage of this tree are truly beautiful to see. The needles are short and flat, often variable in length and irregularly spaced (an adaptation which likely aids in acquiring light in thick forests) leading to an impression of feathery flat sprays along the branch. The color is a soft yellow green to blue green on the tops of needles, with two lines of stomatal bands beneath turning the undersides a whitish green color. The tree grows large, up to about 200” (60m) in height and can achieve widths of as much as 30”! Bark is a rough scaly or furrowed gray to reddish brown.

Identifying Features In Depth:

1. Form: Tall and straight, high apical control and cylindrical shape with a drooping leader and graceful branches which sweep downwards. Grows to a height of 200” (60m) and can achieve widths of up to 30” at the base.

2. Leaves: Needles are blunt and flat, short and of unequal length 5-20mm long. They are usually yellowish green in color and grow along the branch into feathery sprays which tumble like cascades down the sweeping boughs. The bottom of the needles are whitish with 2 stomatal bands. Needles grow out of a short petiole which leaves a long scar when ripped away.

3. Bark: Bark is a gray to reddish brown in color and becomes thick and furrowed on older trees, scaly on younger individuals. Twigs are slender and bear the peg like bases left behind when needles fall.

4. Reproductive Bodies: Pollen cones are prolific and small. Seed cones are likewise extremely numerous upon the tree, small (up to an inch or 2cm in length) and slightly oblong to rounded, purple green when rounded and light brown when mature, often present in large numbers around the base of the tree. Cones have rounded scales, as opposed to the rosebud shape of the Western redcedar whose cones are a similar size but different shape.