Stats

Lifespan

400-1200 yrs

Size

Huge

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate rainforest

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Armor

Status

Common

About

This towering conifer grows along the rainy Pacific coast from Alaska to California. Its tiny, papery cones can produce up to three million seeds during a single heavy mast year.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Pinopsida

Order

Pinales

Family

Pinaceae

Genus

Tsuga

Species

Tsuga heterophylla