Scientific Name:
Larix decidua
Pronunciation:
LAIR-icks dih-SID-you-uh
Common Name:
European larch
Family Name:
Pinaceae
Plant Type:
Conifer, Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Needles soft, pliable, most on short shoots in tuffs of 30-40, linear, 2.5-3.5cm long x 0.5-1mm thick, apex obtuse to acute, flattened or broadly triangular in cross-section, stomata mostly on lower surface in two pale bands separated by a keel; seed cones terminal on short shoots between the nodes, on curved peduncles 5-10mm long, ovoid with an obtuse apex, 2.5-4cm long, comprised of 25-35 seed scales, bracts shorter than seed scales, dark red maturing pale green and then bark brown; seeds 4mm with 6-10mm wing. Winter ID: branches bare, down swept; cones persistent; buds small, spherical, fused with the branch; cone buds larger and on spur shoots. Conifers.org
Habit:
Pendulous, Spreading, Stiffly upright, Twiggy
Form:
Pyramidal - narrowly, Weeping
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
15 - 22m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 2: (-46 to -40 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Fall interest, Screening, Shade tree, Specimen plant, Tall background, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus may include L. 'Pendula' (drooping branches). Hybrid cultivars on campus include L. x eurolepis 'Varied Directions' (L. decidua x L. kaempferi). Compare to L. sibirica.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Needle-like
Arrangement:
Fascicles
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Acicular
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour
Inflorescence Type:
n/a (male cone)
Flower Morphology:
Dioecious plant
Colour (petals):
Male cone, No flowers, Yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Fruit Type:
Cone (winged seeds)
Fruit Colour:
Pink, Red, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy
Bark Morphology:
Plated, Moderately fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Red, Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Rounded or globular
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Organ Modifications:
Ectomycorrhizae
Propagation:
Seed
Pest Susceptibility:
Beetles or weevils, Blight or needle cast, Canker or sap rot, Caterpillar or cutworm, Rust, Sawflies or horntails or ants (Deer resistant)
Course(s):
- CLT Training
- HORT 1155
Location(s):
- (BCE) Boulevard (Circular) Eastend
- (NRY) NuRserY
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLE) Turf Field Lab East : Larix x eurolepis cv. Varied Directions
- (TKC) TamaracK Courtyard : 385
- (WDH) Wark-Dumais House : cv. Pendula