Carolina Hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana)

Family: Pinaceae | Edibility: Edible (1/5)

Bloom Color: Green, Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Pyramidal.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Bark/Inner Bark

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

flavour chewing gum, soft drinks, ice cream etc. — Inner bark - raw or dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread.; The leaves and twigs yield 'spruce oil', which is used commercially to flavour chewing gum, soft drinks, ice cream etc.; A herbal tea is made from the young shoot tips.; These tips are also an ingredient of 'spruce beer'.

Habitat & North American Range

Usually found growing singly or in small scattered groves of a few individuals on the rocky banks of streams at elevations of 750 - 1200 metres. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7)