Tsuga heterophylla

Western hemlock, native to the western parts of North America, is the largest of the hemlocks. Capable of standing deep shade, it grows in mixed forest on mountain slopes and forms dense stands. The crown is narrowly conical and the branches almost horizontal, though the leader and tips of the branches droop in typical hemlock fashion. The needles vary in length, growing outwards and upwards from the branches, covering them so that with age they appear from a distance to be covered in mossy layers.