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Eastern Hemlock

Tsuga canadensis

Found in streams, rivers and their banks; moist forests; rich cove forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

69
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
40–70 feet
Spread
25–35 feet
Light
Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 30 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

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Hemlock woolly adelgid. The hemlock woolly adelgid is severely affecting this species. Plant caution source

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
March to April
Fruiting season
September to November

Recorded in 14 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Rich cove forests

Cove hardwood forest
Regional / representative. Shown: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee; representative habitat composite, not a documented exact viewpoint, a neighboring state.Cove hardwood forest, Hynes, Robert 'Bob', by 2012. Public domain. Source record.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 147 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

45CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Tsuga

  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Argyrotaenia pinatubanaPine Tube Moth
  • Argyrotaenia tabulanaLodgepole Needletier
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Callophrys gryneusOlive Hairstreak, Juniper Hairstreak, Nelson's Hairstreak
  • Caripeta divisataGray Spruce Looper Moth
  • Chloropteryx tepperariaAngled-Winged Emerald
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
Show all 45
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Elaphria versicolorVariegated Midget
  • Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Iridopsis ephyrariaPale-Winged Gray
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Lambdina fervidariaCurve-Lined Looper Moth
  • Lambdina fiscellariaHemlock Looper, Western Oak Looper
  • Lambdina pellucidariaYellow-Headed Looper, Eastern Pine Looper
  • Macaria signariaPale-Marked Angle, Spruce-Fir Looper, Dusky Peacock
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Metalectra quadrisignataFour-Spotted Fungus Moth, 4-Spotted Fungus Moth
  • Morrisonia latexFluid Arches, Fluid Mamestra
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Nemoria mimosariaWhite-Fringed Emerald
  • Nepytia semiclusariaPine Conelet Looper
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Orthosia rubescensRuby Quaker
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Panthea furcillaEastern Panthea, Tufted Pine Panthea
  • Pero morrisonariaMorrison's Pero
  • Phlogophora periculosaBrown Angle Shades
  • Plagodis fervidariaFervid Plagodis
  • Plagodis pulverariaAmerican Barred Umber, Barred Umber
  • Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
  • Protoboarmia porcelariaPorcelain Gray, Dashedlined Looper
  • Syngrapha rectangulaSalt-and-Pepper Looper Moth
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Xestia badicollisWhite Pine Cutworm, Northern Variable Dart, White Pine Dart, Northern Pine Dart
  • Xestia elimataSouthern Variable Dart, Southern Pine Dart
  • Zanclognatha cruralisEarly Zanclognatha, Early Fan-Foot
  • Dahlica walshella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
1BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Tsuga

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Tsuga

  • Loxia curvirostraRed Crossbill
  • Loxia leucopteraWhite-winged Crossbill
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Pinaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–7b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Dark green
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
November
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Canada Hemlock

Conservation status

Alabama rankS4
Global rankG4G5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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Sources