Among the longest-lived species in New England, this conical conifer with long, slender branches drooping to the ground grows between 60 and 70 ft. tall and is extremely shade tolerant. Its needles and small pendant cones, about 0.75 inch long, are particularly distinctive.

NEEDLES: Flat and flexible; rounded tip; spread in two rows from short leafstalks; dark green above with two narrow white bands beneath.

TWIGS: Flexible; rough with peglike bases; finely hairy; yellow-brown.

BARK: Cinnamon brown; thick; deep furrows creating scaly ridges.

HABITAT: Acidic soils; moist cool valleys and rock outcrops; often in pure stands.

RANGE: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick through Quebec and Ontario, south to Delaware, along the mountains to Georgia and Alabama, west to Michigan and Minnesota.

USES: Although the wood is of poor quality and knotty, the lumber is used for pulp and railroad ties. The bark provides tannin. A tea can be made from the leaves and twigs. It is a poor Christmas tree because the leaves fall upon dying. It is often planted as an ornamental and shade tree.