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Larix (ancient Latin name). ''Pinaceae''. Larch. Tamarack. Ornamental deciduous coniferous trees chiefly grown for their bright or light green foliage and regular habit.

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

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.

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.

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.

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'''Larches''' are [[conifer]]s in the genus ''Larix'', in the family [[Pinaceae]]. They are native to much of the cooler [[temperate]] northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the far north, and high on [[mountain]]s further south. Larches are among the dominant plants in the immense [[Taiga|boreal forest]]s of [[Russia]] and [[Canada]].

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They are [[deciduous]] [[tree]]s, growing from 15-50 m tall. The shoots are dimorphic, with growth divided into long shoots typically 10-50 cm long and bearing several [[bud]]s, and short shoots only 1-2 mm long with only a single bud. The [[leaf|leaves]] are needle-like, 2-5 cm long, slender (under 1 mm wide). They are borne singly, spirally arranged on the long shoots, and in dense clusters of 20-50 needles on the short shoots. The needles turn yellow and fall in the late autumn, leaving the trees leafless through the winter.

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Larch [[conifer cone|cones]] are erect, small, 1-9 cm long, green or purple, ripening brown 5-8 months after pollination; in about half the species the bract scales are long and visible, and in the others, short and hidden between the seed scales. Those native to northern regions have small cones (1-3 cm) with short bracts, with more southerly species tending to have longer cones (3-9 cm), often with exserted bracts, with the longest cones and bracts produced by the southernmost species, in the [[Himalaya]].

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==Species and classification==

==Species==

 

====Northern, short-bracted====

====Northern, short-bracted====

* ''[[European Larch|Larix decidua]]'' (syn. ''L. europaea'') European Larch. Mountains of central [[Europe]].

* ''[[European Larch|Larix decidua]]'' (syn. ''L. europaea'') European Larch. Mountains of central [[Europe]].

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.

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.

==Gallery==

 

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==Uses==

Larch is a [[wood]] valued in for its tough, [[waterproof]] and durable qualities; top quality knot-free timber is in great demand for building [[yacht]]s and other small [[boat]]s. The hybrid Dunkeld Larch is widely grown as a [[timber]] crop in northern Europe, valued for its fast growth and disease resistance.

 

Larch has also been used in [[herbal medicine]]; see [[Bach flower remedies]] for details.

 

In central Europe larch is viewed as one of the best wood materials for the building of residences. Planted on borders with birch, both tree species were used in pagan "sagged" cremations. One "sąg" (pronounced ''song'') of wood was required for a [[cremation]] stack. Sąg is used today as a Polish forestry unit measuring approximately 3 × 1 × 1 m.

 

Larches are often used in [[bonsai]] culture, where their knobby bark, small needles, fresh spring foliage and especially autumn colour are appreciated. [[European Larch]], [[Japanese Larch]] and [[Tamarack Larch]] are the species most commonly trained as bonsai.

Image:Flowers of Japanese larch emerging.jpg|Male (above) and female (below right) cones of Japanese Larch emerging in spring

Image:Larix decidua0.jpg|European Larch foliage and cones

The tree was a [[running gag]] in [[Monty Python]] sketches, as in the episode "How to Recognise Different Types of Trees From Quite a Long Way Away".

*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->

<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links and references==

==External links==

*{{wplink}}

*{{cite journal |quotes=no |author=Wei, X.-X., & Wang, X.-Q. |year=2004 |title=Recolonization and radiation in ''Larix'' (Pinaceae): evidence from nuclear ribosomal DNA paralogues |journal=Molecular Ecology |volume=13 |pages=3115–3123 |url=http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02299.x}}

{{Commonscat|Larix}}

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[[Category:Pinaceae]]

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