Practical
Plants

Tsuga caroliniana

Carolina Hemlock

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Tsuga genus in the family Pinaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Pinaceae
Genus
Tsuga
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
slow
Height
15 m
Spread
8 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[8][16][4]. The leaves and twigs yield 'spruce oil', which is used commercially to flavour chewing gum, soft drinks, ice cream etc[6]. A herbal tea is made from the young shoot tips[8][18][24][3][6]. These tips are also an ingredient of 'spruce beer'[6].

Plant part
Inner bark
Product or use
Tea

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The bark is astringent, diaphoretic and diuretic[11]. A tea made from the inner bark or twigs is helpful in the treatment of kidney or bladder problems, and also makes a good enema for treating diarrhoea[11]. It can also be used as a gargle or mouthwash for mouth and throat problems or externally to wash sores and ulcers[11]. A poultice of the bark has been used to treat itchy armpits[15]. The powdered bark can be put into shoes for tender or sweaty feet or for foot odour[11]. An infusion of the stem tips has been used to treat kidney problems[15]. A decoction of the roots has been used as a birthing aid to help expel the afterbirth[15]. The roots have been chewed in order to treat diarrhoea[15].

Product or use
Antipruritic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Birthing aid
Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Kidney

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The inner bark has been used to make baskets[15]. A rosy-tan dye can be obtained from the bark[15]. The bark is a source of tannin[15]. All the uses listed below are based on the uses of T. canadensis and reports in [16][17][23] that this species has similar uses. Yields a resin similar to Abies balsamea, it is gathered by incisions in the trunk or by boiling the wood[16][17][19]. A pitch (called hemlock pitch), is obtained by distillation of the young branches[16]. 'Oil of Hemlock' is distilled from the young branches according to another report[23]. The boiled bark has been used to make a wash to clean rust off iron and steel, and to prevent further rusting[15]. Tolerant of light trimming, plants can be grown as a hedge[22]. This species does not make a good hedge in Britain[9]. Some cultivars can be grown as a ground cover when planted about 1 metre apart each way[10]. 'Pendula' is slow-growing but makes a very good cover[10]. Wood - coarse-grained, light, soft, not strong, brittle, not durable outdoors[11][16][17][23][5][13]. Difficult to work because it splits easily[12]. The wood weighs 26lb per cubic foot[14]. The trees do not self-prune and so the wood contains numerous remarkably hard knots that can quickly dull the blade of an axe[12]. A coarse lumber, it is used occasionally for the outside of buildings[11][16][17][23][5][13]. It should be used with caution as a fuel for outdoor fires because it can project embers and burning wood several metres from the fire[12].

Product or use
Dye
Product or use
Resin
Product or use
Rust treatments
Product or use
Tannin
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Hedge

Environment

Range
South-eastern N. America - W. Virginia to Georgia.
Habitat
Usually found growing singly or in small scattered groves of a few individuals on the rocky banks of streams at elevations of 750 - 1200 metres[23].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
permanent shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
very acid, acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - it germinates better if given a short cold stratification[21][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[20]. 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[9]. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance[9].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[1]. However, it succeeds in most soils and positions, being especially good on acidic sandy soils[22] but also tolerating some lime[1] so long as there is plenty of humus in the soil[10]. Plants are very shade tolerant when young, but need more sunlight as they grow older[22][9]. Plants are thin and poor when grown in dry or exposed places[9]. This species is more tolerant of atmospheric pollution than T. canadensis[1]. A slow growing tree in Britain, it requires hot humid summers[9]. It is probably less slow in the far west and in Ireland[7]. Trees have not done well in this country even though they are very cold-tolerant[1]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[9].

References

  1. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  2. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

    ↩

  3. McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4

    ↩

  4. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  5. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-11-710012-9

    ↩

  8. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  10. Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-460-12609-1

    ↩1↩2↩3

  11. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  12. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩1↩2↩3

  13. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2

  14. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

  15. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

  16. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  17. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  18. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩

  19. Howes. F. N. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Faber

    ↩

  20. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩

  21. McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-901361-21-6

    ↩

  22. Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X

    ↩1↩2↩3

  23. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  24. Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-486-23310-3

    ↩

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