The first trees planted in Hoyt Arboretum in the 1930's were conifers.  Many of the native trees were integrated within the collection, and native shrubs, wildflowers and ferns were preserved to maintain a naturalistic appearance.

Today this arboretum has one of the largest collections of distinct species of conifers in North America.  They thrive in our temperate climate, where moderate, wet winters and dry summers enable them to compete successfully  with deciduous trees.

The following is a list of many of the species in the Hoyt Arboretum Conifer Collection and some of their interesting characteristics:

Pseudotsuga menziesii  Douglas Fir

~ Native from British Columbia to Northern California and grow to about 150’-250’ tall.

~ Name (Pseudotsuga menziesii) means ‘ Menzies False Hemlock’/Oregon’s State Tree/Classification puzzled botanists for years—thought a pine, fir, hemlock and spruce at one point.  Finally placed in a genus of its own. 

~ Buds and needles are different from Firs(have round buds and blunt needles) and Doug firs have pointed needles and more elongated buds.  Cones are different as well with true firs having cones growing upward and Doug firs have dangling cones.

~ Bark is corky with deep fissures as it matures. 

~ Narrow leaves are dark blue-green above and have 2 white bands below.

~ Female cones have long erect bracts that resemble a mouse’s hind quarters.

Abies nordmanniana  Nordman Fir

~ From mountains forests of western Caucasus where it reaches 180’ tall.

~ In cultivation forms an elegant conical spire with tiered sweeping limbs. 

~ Older trees have magnificent smooth gray bark that almost appears checkered.

~ Needles are deep green, blunt at the tips, attach directly to the twig (like all true firs) and have two glistening white stomatic bands underneath.

Abies alba  Silver Fir

~ Native to the mountains of central and eastern Europe, this species produces the tallest tree in Europe capable of reaching 200’ with a spread of 20’.

~ Dark green leaves with silver undersides

~ Used in the construction industry for telephone poles and as far back as ancient Rome and Greece was used for ships masts.

~ Produces Alsatian turpentine oil that is used for bath preparations and especially for respiratory treatments.

Abies bournmuelleriana  Turkish Fir

~ Native to Asia minor

~ A large tree resembling Nordman Fir in habit

~ Believed by some to be a natural hybrid between Abies cephalonica (Grecian Fir) and Abies nordmanniana

~ Leaves are densely arranged on the upper sides of branchlets/dark green above and two stomatic rows below

Abies lasiocarpa Subalpine Fir

~ Native to  high altitudes in Rocky Mountains from Arizona to Alaska and grow to 100-160’

~ Dense spiky leaves are gray-green in color with bluish stripes on both sides

Abies procera Noble Fir

~ Native to high rainfall areas of the Western U.S. (Cascades and Siskiyou Mtns.) this tree can reach 250’. 

~ Leaves are a bluish green above and have narrow pale bands below.

~ Has gray smooth bark for many years with prominent resin blisters eventually turning a dark gray.  Overall bark is thin and not fire adapted.

~ Prefers cool moist, deep, well-drained soil, and ours is generally not, hence their decline at the Arboretum.  Overall needs an abundance of moisture, i.e. irrigation.

Abies amabilis  Pacific Silver Fir

~ Northen Alaska to Northern California and in Western Canada

~ Seldom grows taller than 100’

~ glossy green leaves  have grayish white stripes on the underside and are carried on the upper side of each branch.

~ Cones, if you can see them are a striking redish purple color ripening to brown.

~ Grows best in a cool, moist climate and acid soil.

Abies grandis  Grand Fir

~A giant columnar tree that grows to 300’ on Vancouver Island, B.C. but in cultivation will reach only the 200’ mark.  Native to the Western U.S.

~ Dark green soft shiny leaves with whitish bands underneath.

~ Grows best in areas of heavy rainfall and prefers moist soil that has decent drainage.

~ Leaves can be nicely fragrant when crushed.

Abies bracteata  Bristlecone Fir

~ Hales from cool, coastal, moist mountain valleys of the Santa Lucia Mtns. in California and grows to a height of around 80’ in cultivation but can reach 150’ in its native habitat.

~ Typical fir dark green leaves with white undersides but leaves are longer than other firs and spine tipped . 

~ Pale-brown spindle shaped winter buds

Abies alba   European Silver Fir

Tsuga diversifolia  Japanese hemlock

~ Grows to around 75’ in its native habitat but smaller in cultivation. 

~ Densely arranged leaves that are generally shorter and denser than T. canadensis (Eastern Hemlock) and distinctly notched at the apex. 

~ The plant is broadly pyramidal and gracefully branched, with reddish brown, pubescent branches that distinguish it from T. sieboldii – has glabrous gray to yellowish brown branches. 

Tsuga sieboldii  Southern Japanese Hemlock

~ Native to southern Japan where it grows to 100ft.

~ Shiny young shoots and leaves with notched tips, glossy green above and pale below

~ The white undersides of the needles distinguish it from T. diversifolia

Larix kaempferi  Japanese Larch

~ Native to Japan where plantations cover huge areas in the western hills.  However it is less common in cultivation than Larix decidua European Larch even though it performs better in urban settings.

~ Characteristic long, low branches that sweep out and up. 

~ Mature trees can reach 100’ with scaly rusty brown bark.

~ The leaves of L. Kaempferi are broader and grayer green the L. decidua

~ Female flowers are pink and cream and the cones are brown.

Tsuga heterophylla  Western Hemlock

~ Perhaps growing best in the Coast and Cascade ranges where rainfall exceeds 60 inches but stretches from Alaska to northern California.  State tree of Washington.

~ Very shade tolerant hemlocks often grow close together and in layers under older hemlocks and Douglas firs. 

~ Easily identified from other Oregon native conifers by its drooping top/leader and short needles and very small cones. 

~ The cinderella of NW trees, it was unwanted by lumbermen in the 1930’s and immense volumes were wasted during logging.  Now no tree exceeds western hemlock for quality pulp for newsprint, magazines and tissue papers. 

~ Western hemlock is also used for plywood and some solid wood products. 

Thuja plicata  Western Red Cedar

~ The genus name comes from a greek word for a highly prized aromatic wood.  The species name plicata means folded into plaits (interwoven) referring to the arrangement of the scale-like leaves.  The common name redcedar is written as one word to indicate that it is not a true cedar.

~ Grows from Alaska to Northern California and from the Pacific Ocean to Montana typically in moist habitats but can be found on dry slopes.

~ The swollen bases of western redcedar make it the broadest of northwest trees sometimes surpassing 20 ft. in diameter.

~  Always the leader in shingles and siding, redcedar has other important uses such as poles, posts, pilings, fencing, greenhouse equipment, boats, and outdoor decks.

~ Considered the greatest tree to PNW Natives, they used it for everything from lodging, boating, clothing, insulation and bedding.

Cedrus deodara  Deodar Cedar

Picea pungens  Colorado Blue Spruce

Cedrus libanii  Cedar of Lebanon

Cedrus libani ssp. atlantica  Atlas Cedar 

Picea jezoensis  Yeddo Spruce

x Cupressocyparis leylandii   Leyland Cypress

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana  Port Orford Cedar

Picea breweriana  Brewer's Weeping Spruce

Calocedrus decurrens  Incense Cedar

Aracauria araucana  Monkey Puzzle Tree

Sequoiadendron giganteum  Giant Sequoia

Sequoia sempervirens  Coast Redwood

Metasequoia glyptostroboides  Dawn Redwood

Sequoiadendron giganteum ‘Pendula’  Weeping Sequoia

Cryptomeria japonica  Japanese Cedar

Taxodium distichum  Bald Cypress

Pinus resinosa  Red Pine

Pinus attenuata  Knobcone Pine

Picea abies  Norway Spruce

Picea sitchensis  Sitka Spruce

Taxus brevifolia  Pacific Yew

Picea englemanii  Englemann Spruce

Picea orientalis  Oriental Spruce

Picea mariana  Black Spruce

Picea glauca  Alberta White Spruce

Picea smithiana  Himalayan Spruce

Abies Firma  Momi Fir

Abies numidica Algerian Fir