Eastern Hemlock vs Norway Spruce
Eastern hemlock and Norway spruce are easy to distinguish up-close, but are sometimes confused from a distance because both have dark green needles and drooping branches and foliage; both are widely used in landscaping, and are highly shade-tolerant.
Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) | Norway Spruce (Picea abies) |
A large, shade-tolerant evergreen conifer native to the Appalacians and northeastern U.S. | Native to Europe, and widely planted in northeastern North America, occasionally established in the wild. The spruce in North America with the widest growth habit. |
 Tiny cones. Photo © Fluff Berger, CC BY-SA 4.0. |  Huge cones. Photo © Derek, CC BY 4.0. |
 Short, flat, round-tipped needles. Photo © Nova Patch, CC BY-SA 4.0. |  Long, pointed needles which are not flat, bur rather, diamond-shaped in cross-section. Photo © Mark Apgar, CC BY 4.0. |
 Bark of mature trees has long, vertical cracks and plates. Photo © Jacob Ke, CC BY 4.0. |  Bark of mature trees is scaly, tending to crack into roughly-round scales. Photo © Marie Studer, CC BY 4.0. |
 Silhouette looks feathery due to small needles. Photo © Laura Costello, CC BY 4.0. |  Individual branches look thicker in silhouette. Photo © johnyochum, CC BY 4.0. |
References & External Resources
These short lists show only links helpful for ID. For a complete list of references and resources also covering other aspects of ecology, visit the links section of the full article on each plant, which is the first entry here.
