Larch

Plant Characteristics

Habit		tree

Cultivation

Features:	✓	deciduous

Scientific Names

Pinaceae >

Larix >

Read about Larch in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Larix (ancient Latin name). Pinaceae. Larch. Tamarack. Ornamental deciduous coniferous trees chiefly grown for their bright or light green foliage and regular habit. Branches whorled, at least while young:leaves linear, in crowded clusters on short spurs except on the loading shoots where they are spirally arranged: flowers monoecious; staminate flowers small, globose to oblong; solitary, consisting of numerous short-stalked, spirally arranged anthers; pistillate fls. larger, consisting of several or numerous scales, with 2 naked ovules at the base, each scale borne in the axil of a much longerbract: cone with woody, 2-seeded scales, persistent on the axis; seeds with large, thin wings, ripening the first year.— About 10 or 12 species in the colder regions and the high mountains of the northern hemisphere. The larches are handsome trees of regular pyramidal habit, but in old age becoming sometimes irregular;they are particularly handsome in spring with their light green tender foliage and studded with their usually bright purple pistillate flowers. They are all hardy North except the Himalayan L. Criffithii, and are often planted as park trees, chiefly for the light green foliage and the regular conical, or in some varieties pendulous, habit. The most beautiful is probably L. leptolepis, with the foliage turning bright yellow in fall, while the others assume only a pale yellow color. They are also very valuable forest trees, especially for the northern and mountainous regions; no forest tree goes farther north than the larch, reaching in North America 67° and in Siberia 72° of latitude. The wood is hard, heavy and very durable, and much used for construction, that of L. occidentalis being considered the best of all American conifers. From the European larch turpentine is obtained. The bark contains tannin, and an extract is used for tanning leather. The larch grows in almost any kind of soil, including clay and limestone, and prefers a somewhat moist, but well-drained soil and an open situation; the American larch grows well even in swamps. Unfortunately several insects and fungi prey on the larch, and sometimes do considerable damage, especially the leaf-eating larvae of some moths. Propagation is usually by seeds sown in spring, and the young seedlings shaded; varieties are grafted on seedlings, mostly on those of L. decidua (L.europaea), either outdoors by whip-or cleft-grafting or in the greenhouse by veneer-grafting; they may also be increased by cuttings of nearly ripened wood under glass or by layers, but this method is rarely practised. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

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Propagation

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Pests and diseases

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Species

Source: Wikipedia^wp

Northern, short-bracted

• Larix decidua (syn. L. europaea) European Larch. Mountains of central Europe.
• Larix sibirica Siberian Larch. Plains of western Siberia.
• Larix gmelinii (syn. L. dahurica, L. olgensis) Dahurian Larch. Plains of eastern Siberia.
• Larix kaempferi (syn. L. leptolepis) Japanese Larch. Mountains of central Japan.
• Larix principis-rupprechtii Prince Rupprecht's Larch *. Mountains of northern China (Shanxi, Hebei).

Southern, long-bracted

• Larix potaninii Chinese Larch. Mountains of southwestern China (Sichuan, northern Yunnan).
• Larix himalaica Langtang Larch *. Mountains of central Himalaya.
• Larix mastersiana Masters' Larch. Mountains of western China.
• Larix speciosa Yunnan Larch *. Mountains of southwest China (southwest Yunnan), northeast Myanmar.
• Larix griffithii (syn. L. griffithiana) Himalayan Larch. Mountains of eastern Himalaya

North American

• Larix laricina Tamarack Larch or American Larch. Plains of northern North America.
• Larix lyallii Subalpine Larch. Mountains of northwest USA and southwest Canada, at very high altitude.
• Larix occidentalis Western Larch. Mountains of northwest USA and southwest Canada, at lower altitudes.

Most if not all of the species can be hybridised in cultivation. The best known hybrid is the Dunkeld Larch Larix × marschlinsii (syn. L. × eurolepis, an illegitimate name), which arose more or less simultaneously in Switzerland and Scotland when L. decidua and L. kaempferi hybridised when planted together.

Read about Larch in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Larix chinensis, Beisan. (syn. L. Potaninii). L. Griffithii, Hook. f. & Thoms. Pyramidal tree, to 60 ft., with spreading and pendulous branches: Leaves soft, obtuse: cones 2-3 in. long, oblong, with exserted and reflexed bracts. Himalayas. L. Kaempferi Carr. (syn. Pseudolarix Kaempferi). L. Kaempferi, Sarg. (syn. L. leptolepis). L. kurilensis, Mayr (L. dahurica japonica, Regel). Allied to L. leptolepis, to 70 ft.: branches wide spreading; young branchlets deep bluish red, puberulous: Leaves rigid: bracts as long or somewhat shorter than scales. N. Japan. L. lyalli, Parl. Allied to L. occidentalis, but lower: young branchlets tomentose: Leaves quandrangular: young cones deep purple, the scales with fringed margin. Brit. Col. to Wash. L. Mastersidna, Rehd. & Wilson. Allied to L. Griffithii. Tree, to 60 ft.: Leaves bright green, 3 - 1 1/3 in. long: cones about 1 1/2 in. long: bracts long exserted and reflexed, gradually narrowed into a mucro. W. China. L. olgensis, Henry. Allied to L. kurilensis, but scales pubescent. Amurland. L. Potaninii, Batal. (L. chinensis, Beiesn. L. thibetica, Franch.). Allied to L. occidentalis. Tree, to 80 ft.: branchlets glabrous: Leaves acute or obtusish, about 1 in. long: cones oblong-ovate, 1-2 in. long: bracts lanceolate, exceeding the nearly orbicular scales; scales spreading at maturity. W.China. L.thibetica, Franch. (syn. L. Potaninii). CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Gallery

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  Siberian larch

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  Male (above) and female (below right) cones of Japanese Larch emerging in spring

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  European Larch foliage and cones

References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Larch. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Larch QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)