BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Tsuga caroliniana | Carolina Hemlock 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Carolina hemlock is a native, slow-growing, coniferous, evergreen tree
usually 40 to 70 feet (12-21 m) tall and 8 to 12 inches (20-30 cm) in
d.b.h. [4,8,15].  Heights of 150 to 180 feet (46-55 m) and diameters of
5 to 6 feet (1.5-1.8 m) have been reported [8].

Carolina hemlock has a long slender trunk and a narrow crown of slightly
drooping branches.  The leaf blades spread from the twig in all
directions.  The cones are 1.0 to 1.5 inches (2.5-3.8 cm) long, and the
seeds are the longest of any of the native hemlocks [18].  The bark on
younger trees is flaky and scaly and on older trees, deeply furrowed.
The root system is shallow and spreading [2,6,8].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Seed production and dissemination:  Carolina hemlock begins producing
seed at about age 20, but good crops do not occur until the trees are
are 25 and 30 years.  The lightweight seed are wind dispersed.  Carolina
hemlock seed averages of 187,000 seeds per pound (415,000/kg) [14,16].

Vegetative Reproduction:  Like other hemlocks Carolina hemlock does not
sprout and only rarely layers.  Vegetative propagation by cuttings and
grafting are limited to ornamental production [6].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Carolina hemlock is common on rocky slopes and ridges of the Appalachian
Mountains at elevations between 2,100 and 4,000 feet (400-1,220 m)
[7,8].  Typically, most soils are very acidic (between 3.5-4.5 pH), but
some are near neutral.  The heavy, slowly decomposing litter fosters
podzolization as the stand increases in age [7,8].

Other associates of Carolina hemlock in addition to the cover type
species are eastern hemlock (T. canadensis), Carolina silverbell
(Halesia carolina), American holly (Ilex opaca), mountain rosebay
(Rhododendron catawbiense), mountain-laurel (Kalmia latifolia), and oak
(Quercus spp.) [7,8,9].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Obligate Climax Species

Carolina hemlock is very shade tolerant.  It will gradually replace
earlier established species and become dominant in very late stages of
succession.  Carolina hemlock can be considered a climax species because
it is difficult for other species to invade and grow under its canopy [7].



SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Carolina hemlock pollination occurs from March to the end of April.  The
cones ripen from late August to late September of the next year; the
seed is dispersed from September through the winter [18].

Related categories for Species: Tsuga caroliniana | Carolina Hemlock