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Carolina Hemlock

Tsuga caroliniana

Found in forests and woodlands; cliffs, ledges and rocky summits. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

71
Strong

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

Profile 100%

Height
30–70 feet
Spread
20–25 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 22.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Hemlock woolly adelgid. The hemlock woolly adelgid threatens this species. Plant caution source

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
Spring
Fruiting season
August to September

Recorded in 19 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Cliffs, ledges and rocky summits

Sassafras Mountain rock outcrop
Rock outcrop on a mountain summit. Shown: Sassafras Mountain, on the North Carolina and South Carolina line, a neighboring state.Sassafras Mountain rock outcrop, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record. Faithful JPEG display decode of embedded JP2; no AI or color enhancement. Phone derivative resized proportionally.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 135 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

80CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Tsuga

  • Acleris varianaEastern Blackheaded Budworm
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Anticlea vasiliataVariable Carpet
  • Argyrotaenia occultanaFall Spruce Needle Moth
  • Argyrotaenia pinatubanaPine Tube Moth
  • Argyrotaenia tabulanaLodgepole Needletier
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Callophrys gryneusOlive Hairstreak, Juniper Hairstreak, Nelson's Hairstreak
  • Campaea perlataPale Beauty, Fringed Looper
Show all 80
  • Caripeta divisataGray Spruce Looper Moth
  • Chloropteryx tepperariaAngled-Winged Emerald
  • Choristoneura fumiferanaSpruce Budworm Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Cladara limitariaMottled Gray Carpet, Yellow-Lined Conifer Looper, Yellow-Lined Forest Looper, Black-Angled Wave
  • Coleotechnites apicitripunctellaGreen Hemlock Needleminer Moth
  • Dasychira plagiataNorthern Conifer Tussock Moth
  • Dasychira vagansVariable Tussock Moth
  • Dysstroma citrataDark Marbled Carpet
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Elaphria versicolorVariegated Midget
  • Epinotia radicanaRed-Striped Needleworm Moth
  • Epirrita autumnataThe Autumnal Moth, November Moth
  • Eucopina tocullionanaWhite Pine Cone Borer
  • Eufidonia notatariaPowder Moth
  • Eulithis propulsataCurrant Eulithis
  • Eupithecia palpataSmall Pine Looper, Palpata Pug
  • Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Feralia comstockiComstock's Sallow
  • Feralia jocosaJocose Sallow, The Joker
  • Hesperumia sulphurariaSulphur Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hydriomena divisariaBlack-Dashed Hydriomena, Transverse-Banded Looper
  • Hydriomena renunciataRenounced Hydriomena
  • Hypagyrtis piniataPine Measuringworm Moth, Pine Variant
  • 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
  • Lithophane innominataNameless Pinion
  • Macaria bisignataRed-Headed Inchworm
  • Macaria fissinotataHemlock Angle
  • 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 canosariaFalse Hemlock Looper Moth, Evergreen Span Worm
  • 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 acronyctoidesBlack Zigzag, Tufted Spruce Caterpillar
  • Panthea furcillaEastern Panthea, Tufted Pine Panthea
  • Paralobesia palliolanaSpruce Mlcromoth
  • 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
  • Spiramater lutraDarling Mamestra, Splashed Arches, Otter Spiramater, Otter Arches
  • Syngrapha aliasSpruce Looper, Hooked Silver Y
  • Syngrapha rectangulaSalt-and-Pepper Looper Moth
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Tolype laricisLarch Tolype, Larch Lappet Moth
  • Xanthorhoe labradorensisLabrador Carpet, Packard’s Carpet
  • Xestia badicollisWhite Pine Cutworm, Northern Variable Dart, White Pine Dart, Northern Pine Dart
  • Xestia elimataSouthern Variable Dart, Southern Pine Dart
  • Xestia praeviaEarly Conifer Dart, Praevia Dart
  • Zanclognatha cruralisEarly Zanclognatha, Early Fan-Foot
  • Zanclognatha dentataToothed Zanclognatha, Toothed Fan-Foot
  • Apotomops wellingtoniana
  • 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 6a–7b
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Dark green
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
September
Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankS2
Global rankG3
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources