Buds are small, globose, and not resinous. Leaves are spirally arranged, usually in two ranks. Its dark green leaves are flat and arranged in two planes with white, stomatic bands on the underside of the needles. Twigs are only slightly roughened by persistent leaf bases.
Branches are long, slender, and often pendulous.
The tree forms a broad, pyramidal head. The tree occurs along streams and cool slopes in eastern Ohio, along the lake in Lorain County, and southward to Adams County along the Ohio River. It is also found growing native in Green and Auglaize counties. In the Hocking Hills area, the hemlocks reach the zenith of grandeur and beauty. Although the needles are spirally arranged, they appear to be two-ranked on the stem.