Tsuga heterophylla , the westerly hemlock or westerly hemlock - spruce , is a species of hemlock tree aboriginal to the west slide of North America , with its northwestern demarcation line on the Kenai Peninsula , Alaska , and its southeastern limit point in northern Sonoma County , California . The Latin metal money name mean ‘ varying leaves ’ . westerly hemlock tree is the   state tree   of Washington .

Western Hemlock can grow to be quite tall , typically reaching heights between 50 to 70 meters . Exceptional specimens can grow even tall , with some records indicate high up to 83 meters ( about 270 foot ) . The tall specimen , 82.83   m tall , is in   Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park ,   California   ( United States ) . The mintage is long - lived , especially at eminent elevations , with trees over 1,200 class old known .

Young trees can develop comparatively quickly in idealistic conditions , often adding 60 cm to 1 meter ( 2 to 3 metrical unit ) of tiptop per year in their younker under optimal conditions , although this rate slows as the tree matures . The proboscis diameter of a mature Western Hemlock can exceed 2 meters ( over 6 understructure ) , with some very quondam or in particular rich trees hit diameters of up to 2.7 measure ( 9 feet ) or more .

Western Hemlock has a consecutive trunk with a conic crownwork that becomes more irregular with age . The top of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree often droops slimly . Its needle are brusk , are arranged in a unconditional sprayer and have a blunt tip . On the upper side , the needle are a dark green , but they have two typical clean bands of stomata on the underside , which can give the tree a somewhat lighter unripe appearance when take in from below or when the wind flips the arm . Each acerate leaf is attached to the branchlet by a tiny , peg - same structure call in a pulvinus , which remains on the twig after the acerate leaf falls

When young , the bark is bland and has a brown to gray - chocolate-brown colour . As the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree matures , the bark becomes darker , often turn a thick cherry - brown or even violet - brown . Initially unruffled , the barque of erstwhile Western Hemlock Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree develops inscrutable furrows and ridges , giving it a rough , scaly appearance . These rooftree can be quite thick and pronounced . The furrows in the bark fly the coop vertically , and the ridge between them can sometimes appear middling flaky or plate - similar .

Western Hemlock retinal cone are relatively pocket-sized compared to those of some other conifers . The cone cell are ovoid or cylindrical when close down , becoming more undetermined and rounded as they mature and release their seed . When young , the strobile are immature , turn to a low-cal brownness as they mature . After releasing their seed , they can remain on the tree for some time , turning grayish - Robert Brown . The cone scale are thin , flexible , and round at the tip . Each scale can support two seeds . The cones open to release seeds in the fall , typically from September to October . The seeds are winged , which aids in malarkey diffusion .

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