Tsuga mertensiana
| Tsuga mertensiana | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 148' |
| Width: | 33' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Tsuga mertensiana (common name: mountain hemlock)
Propagation: Seed - it germinates better if given a short cold stratification[1][2] and so is best sown in a cold frame in autumn to late winter. It can also be sown in early spring, though it might not germinate until after the next winter. If there is sufficient seed, an outdoor sowing can be made in spring[3]. Pot-grown seedlings are best potted up into individual pots once they are large enough to handle - grow them on in a cold frame and plant them out in early summer of the following year. Trees transplant well when they are up to 80cm tall, but they are best put in their final positions when they are about 30 - 45 cm or less tall, this is usually when they are about 5 - 8 years old[4]. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance[4].
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, it thrives best when growing in a deep well-drained soil in the western parts of Britain where it appreciates the higher rainfall[5]. However, it succeeds in most soils and positions, being especially good on acidic sandy soils[6]. Plants are very shade tolerant when young, but need more sunlight as they grow older[6][4]. Plants are thin and poor when grown in dry or exposed places[4]. Dislikes atmospheric pollution[7].
A very ornamental plant[5], it is slow growing for the first few years, averaging 30cm a year, but older trees, especially in Scottish lowland sites in areas with cool moist summers, are growing rapidly[8].
Trees live 400 - 500 years in the wild[9]. They commence bearing seeds when about 20 - 30 years old, years of high production alternating with years of low production[9].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[4].
Range: Western N. America - Alaska to California.
Habitat: Exposed ridges and slopes at high altitudes, often to 3000 metres[7]. The best stands are found in sheltered areas with deep moist well-drained soils, high precipitation and long cold winters[9].
Edibility: Inner bark - raw or dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread[10]. It is best used in the spring[11]. An emergency food, it is only used when all else fails[12].
A herbal tea is made from the young leaves and shoot tips[11][12].
Medicinal: The bark is astringent, diaphoretic and diuretic[13]. A tea made from the inner bark or twigs is helpful in the treatment of influenza, colds, kidney or bladder problems, and also makes a good enema for treating diarrhoea[13][14]. It can also be used as a gargle or mouthwash for mouth and throat problems or externally to wash sores and ulcers[13].
The powdered bark can be put into shoes for tender or sweaty feet or for foot odour[13].
A poultice of the chewed leaves has been used to treat burns[14].
The warm gum obtained from the trunks has been used as a dressing on cuts[14].
Usage: The slightly unripe cones are used in pot-pourri. They retain an attractive scent for several years[4].
Yields a resin similar to Abies balsamea, it is gathered by incisions in the trunk or by boiling the wood[15][16][17].
The bark contains 8 - 14% tannin[15][18]. The inner bark is used according to one report[7].
A brown dye is obtained from the bark[13][15].
The boughs are steamed or rubbed on furniture and used as a room deodorant and disinfectant[14].
A pitch (called hemlock pitch), is obtained by distillation of the young branches[15].
Tolerant of light trimming, plants can be grown as a tall hedge[19][6].
Wood - strong[18]. Used for heavy construction[18]. Close-grained, light, soft and weak according to other reports, which go on to say that it is occasionally manufactured into lumber when other wood is not available[7][9].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Pollution: Does not tolerate environmental pollution.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall-Late Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Links
References
- ↑ McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Rushforth, Keith. Conifers. Batsford, 1991.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Mitchell, Alan. Conifers in the British Isles. Stationery Office Books, 1975.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Howes, Frank. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Chronica Botanica, 1949.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Shepherd, F. W.. Hedges and Screens. Royal Horticultural Society, 1974.