Western Hemlock
(Pinaceae Tsuga heterophylla)
Adopted in 1947.
In 1946, an Oregon newspaper teased
Washington for not having a state tree.
The Portland Oregonian picked out the
western hemlock, but Washington
newspapers decided to choose their own
and selected the popular western red
cedar. State Representative George Adams
of Mason County pleaded with the
Legislature to adopt the western
hemlock. The western hemlock,
Pinaceae Tsuga heterophylla, he
said, would become "the backbone of this
state's forest industry." Adams' bill
passed the Legislature and was signed
into law in 1947.
Western hemlock (Tsuga
heterophylla), also called Pacific
hemlock and west coast hemlock, thrives
in humid areas of the Pacific coast and
northern Rocky Mountains. Its potential
for management as an efficient producer
of fiber has long been recognized. It is
an important browse species for deer and
elk. Western hemlock provides an
important part of the esthetic
background for eight national parks-four
each in the United States and Canada. It
is a pioneer on many sites, yet it is
commonly the climax dominant. Although
western hemlock grows like a weed, its
versatility and potential for management
make it the "Cinderella of the
Northwest."
RCW 1.20.020
State tree.
That certain evergreen tree known
and described as the western hemlock
(Tsuga heterophylla) is hereby
designated as the official tree of
the state of Washington.
[1947 c 191 § 1; Rem. Supp. 1947 §
10964-120.]
Description:
- Leaf: Leaves single,
linear, and spirally arranged (but
somewhat 2-ranked); short (1/4 to
3/4 inches long), flat, and have two
distinctly different sizes that
alternate on the twig; yellow-green
to green above with two white bands
below. Leaves have rounded tips and
short, but distinct, petioles.
- Flower: Monoecious; male
cones are tiny, yellow, and occur
axillary on previous year's growth;
female cones are tiny, purple, and
terminal.
- Fruit: Small, woody,
egg-shaped cones (about 1 inch long)
with numerous thin, imbricate
scales; pendent, sessile, and
terminal; reddish-brown; mature in
one season, abundant.
- Twig: Slender, flexible,
and minutely pubescent, roughened by
diagonally-raised and rounded leaf
scars.
- Bark: Young bark is thin,
superficially scaly, and brown to
black. On mature trees bark is thin
(about 1 inch) with flattened
ridges. Inner bark is dark red
streaked with purple.
- Form: A large evergreen
conifer that reaches 200 feet tall
and 4 feet in diameter, mature trees
have a pyramidal crown and lacy
foliage that droops at the terminal
ends.
Taxonomic Hierarchy
|
Kingdom |
Plantae -- Plants |
Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta --
Vascular plants |
Superdivision |
Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
Division |
Coniferophyta – Conifers |
Class |
Pinopsida – |
Order |
Pinales – |
Family |
Pinaceae – Pine family |
Genus |
Tsuga Carr. –
hemlock |
Species |
Tsuga heterophylla
(Raf.) Sarg. – western
hemlock |
Source:
Dendrology at Virginia Tech
U.S. Department of Agriculture
|