Каролина шыршығы: сипаттамасы және қорғау мәселелері

Species of conifer

Tsuga caroliniana, the Carolina hemlock, is a species of hemlock endemic to the United States. As of 2023, it is under review for listing under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Carolina hemlock is native to the Appalachian Mountains in southwest Virginia, western North Carolina, extreme northeast Georgia, northwest South Carolina, and eastern Tennessee. Its habitat is on rocky mountain slopes at elevations of The optimal growing condition is a partly shady area with moist but well drained soil in a cool climate. There is a small, self sustaining population of Carolina hemlock in the Virginia Kendall State Park Historic District of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in northeast Ohio planted originally as part of reforestation efforts during the park’s development in the 1930s and 40s.

It is an evergreen coniferous tree growing up to (exceptionally ) tall and in trunk diameter under forest conditions. The crown is compact and pyramidal, growing up to wide. The bark is thick and reddish brown, and becomes fissured between scaly ridges. The branches are stout and usually horizontal, but often slightly drooping. The shoots are red brown to orange brown, and finely hairy. The leaves are long and broad, flattened, not tapering toward their ends, with a rounded or slightly notched apex; they radiate outward in all directions from the twigs, and smell of tangerine if crushed. They are glossy dark green above and paler on the underside, with two white stomatal bands. The cones are long, green, maturing light to mid brown 6–7 months after pollination. When fully open, their scales are positioned at a right angle or reflexed to the central axis.

The hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), an adelgid introduced to the United States from Asia in 1924, threatens Carolina hemlock, which is as susceptible as the related eastern hemlock.

Carolina hemlock is used more often as an ornamental tree than for timber production, due to its overall rarity.