Puget Sound Native Tree
Botanical Garden
People have created across the United States lists of the largest individual tree of many species as well as typical size of each in a mature forest. They call the largest tree a CHAMPION TREE, for bragging rights.
Western Hemlock
Typical dimensions of a large tree of this species in a mature forest:
Height:
Diameter:
Age:
Champion tree for this species:
Height:
Diameter:
Age:
200 feet
5 feet
300 years?
270'
9 ft
500 years?
3- If left undisturbed, the Western Hemlock becomes the dominate tree in the Puget Sound climax forest.
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Western Hemlock
tsuga heterophylla
Western hemlocks (Tsuga heterophylla) are large, graceful evergreen coniferous trees native to the Pacific coast, known for their soft, feathery foliage with short needles of varying lengths and a distinctive drooping leader (top). They are an important species in Pacific Northwest forests, thriving in moist, cool climates, and are recognized by their graceful, pendulous branches and small cones, serving as Washington's state tree.
Western Hemlock
This tree species was growing at the Dolphin Place location when the property was purchased in 1973.
Exact data was not collected at the time. The following is data recorded in 2020.
Largest tree for this species within Dolphin Place Open Space:
Height:
Diameter:
90 ft
3 feet
Western hemlock cones are small, oval, and hang daintily from branch tips; they have thin, papery scales, are green or purple when young, turn reddish-brown as they mature, and are much smaller than Douglas fir cones, making them easy to spot even on lower branches. They are prolific, often blanketing the ground beneath the tree, and release tiny winged seeds in late summer.
Western hemlock bark starts smooth and reddish-brown when young, but as the tree matures, it becomes thick, dark brown, and deeply furrowed with scaly, flattened ridges, often with a purplish hue underneath, and can be covered in moss and ferns, making it look rougher and more textured than young bark. At Dolphin Place the bark of the Grand Fir hosts a yellowish powder lichen while the hemlock powder lichen is avocado green (if you can't see the needles).
Western hemlock needles are short, flat, soft, and vary in length, appearing green on top but distinctly silvery-white underneath due to two white stripes, attached to the twig by tiny stems, giving branches a fluffy look with a drooping tip.