Slender North American beauty Canadian hemlock belongs to the pine family and is an evergreen coniferous tree. Its homeland and main distribution area are the eastern regions of North America and Asia. As an ornamental plant, hemlock is grown all over the world. The tree is very hardy, able to withstand significant frosts. Rusty prefers to
slightly acidic soils. It has a cone-shaped crown and reaches 30 meters in height. It grows very slowly, for a long time, while living up to a thousand years, reaching maximum productivity by 200-300 years.
A bit of history
The name of the tree was not formed immediately. Hemlock received its first name from Carl Linnaeus in 1763 - Pinus canadensis. The fact is that although it belongs to the pine family, it is very similar to fir. And for a long time, botanists could not determine to which family it actually belongs. Later it was noticed that the plant is a transitional link between these families. As a result, the Japanese name was chosen, since several species grow in Japan.this tree. Elie-Abel Carrière, a scientist, was the first to use the modern name Canadian hemlock in 1855.
Appearance
Thanks to a wide cone-shaped crown of thin weeping branches, the tree has an elegant appearance. A tall, even trunk is almost two-thirds of its length devoid of branches. In an adult tree, the diameter of the trunk can reach 120 centimeters, it gradually narrows towards the top. When young, the bark is reddish or dark brown, darkening with age and adding a grayish tinge. In older trees, the scales of the bark gradually peel off. The bark itself becomes rough, with deep furrows and can be up to 2 centimeters thick. The needles are small, flattened, dark green above and lighter below. Canadian hemlock buds are small and drooping nicely.
In the service of man
In North America, the tree has found a very wide application. It is used in large volumes in the woodworking industry in Canada and the USA, many pulp and paper enterprises in these countries use its wood as a raw material for the production of paper and cardboard. Canadian hemlock is also used in medicine and for the production of cosmetics. Saunas are sheathed with a plank of this tree, and tannin is extracted from the bark, which is used in the leather industry as a tannin, and natural dyes for subsequent coloring of the skin.
Canadian hemlock Nana
This slow growing shrub has been used in landscape design in Europe since the 19th century. With a height of about 1 metercrown grows up to 2 meters in diameter. It grows slowly, the annual growth is only 4 centimeters. Feels good both in the sun and in the shade, successfully tolerates frost. Used in parterre lawns, heather gardens and rocky areas of parkland.
Serbian spruce
This is one of the fastest growing types of spruce. The narrow crown and upcurved openwork branches give the tree a pretty look, which is enhanced by two-tone needles. A beautiful bluish-green decoration is complemented by graceful purple-brown buds. Looks good both alone and in combination with other ornamental spruce species.
