An evergreen tree that grows to 200 feet and 3 to 4 feet thick. Has a narrowly conical shape, and a crown with a conspicuously drooping leader, gracefully down-sweeping branches and delicate, feathery foliage. The boughs have a delicate spray-like appearance. Male and female flowers are reddish, and appear on the same plant in spring. The cones are small and delicate.
Some seeds travel half a mile from the parent tree in only a light wind.
Habitat Grows on all but the soggiest sites and the driest areas west of the Cascades, and is abundant up to about 3,500 feet in elevation. It also occurs inland in the wettest areas of northeastern Washington. Its seedlings can grow under dense shade. Traditional Uses Northwest Indians used the bark for tanning hides, as a dye to color wool and baskets, as a cleansing solution, a facial cosmetic, and as a hair remover. The bark was steeped in water and used to color fish nets to make them invisible to fish.