Pinaceae FAMILY Near Threatened

Tsuga canadensis

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Tsuga canadensis is an evergreen tree with a broadly conic, dense crown; it can grow up to 30 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be up to 150cm in diameter[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. , 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ]. The tree is commonly harvested from the wild as a commercial source of wood, which is considered to be of low quality and so is used especially as a source of pulp for making paper. It is occasionally planted for its timber in Germany[ 50 Title Flora Europaea Publication Author ? Publisher Cambridge University Press Year 1964 ISBN - Description An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader. ]. The bark has been a major source of tannins in the past, though is little harvested for this purpose at present. The tree also has a wide range of other uses as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is often grown as an ornamental, with many named forms available, and can be used as a hedge and ground cover. This very widespread and abundant species occurs in many forests and woods. In parts of its range, mainly the southwest (Alabama, Tennesses, Kentucky), dieback that is caused by an invasive alien insect pest is spreading. Whether this pest is moving the species closer to extinction in the near future is uncertain as there is past (prehistoric) evidence of great fluctuations of Tsuga canadensis that were possibly caused by pest outbreaks, from which it recovered. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeEastern N. America - Minnesota to Nova Scotia, south to northern Alabama and northern Georgia

HabitatWoods and swampy areas on cool moist sites[ 21 Title The Herb Book. Publication Author Lust. J. Publisher Bantam books Year 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2 Description Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book. ], also in upland forests, often covering the north side of ridges[ 82 Title Manual of the Trees of N. America. Publication Author Sargent. C. S. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ Publisher Dover Publications Inc. New York. Year 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X Description Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the internet. ]. Moist rocky ridges, ravines, and hillsides; at elevations from 600 - 1,800metres [ 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ].