Stats

Lifespan: Up to 800 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Armor
Status: Near Threatened

About

A slow-growing conifer native to eastern North America, the eastern hemlock can live over 500 years and its dense, drooping boughs create cool, cathedral-like shade over forest streams. Its short flat needles each sport two white stripes on the underside.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Tsuga
Species: Tsuga canadensis