Scientific Name:
Larix kaempferi
Pronunciation:
LAIR-icks KEM-fer-eye
Common Name:
Japanese larch
Family Name:
Pinaceae
Plant Type:
Conifer, Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Needles in tufts of 20-35, linear 1-2.3cm long x 0.8mm wide (or up to 6cm long x 2mm wide on long shots), more grey- or blue-green than other local larches; two stomatal bands on lower surface; seed cones brown when mature, 2-3cm long x 2cm wide; seed scales about 10-12mm long and wide, the upper margin is entire, undulate or emarginate, usually strongly recurved; bract scales ligulate, with a prominent midrib, apex acuminate, 6-7mm long x about 2mm wide; seeds about 4mm long x 3mm wide, wings 5-8mm long x 3-4mm wide. Winter ID: terminal vegetative buds conical, 4-5mm wide, lateral buds are sub-globose, 3mm across, both slightly resinous, dark red-brown triangular-ovate bud scales with uneven teeth. Conifers.org
Habit:
Stiffly upright
Form:
Pyramidal - widely
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
> 30m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Street (boulevard tree)
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus may include L. 'Jakobsen's Pyramid' (columnar) and L. 'Blue Dwarf'. Hybrid cultivars on campus include L. x eurolepis 'Varied Directions' (L. decidua x L. kaempferi).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Needle-like
Arrangement:
Fascicles
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Bluish, Green, Silver / Grayish
Shapes:
Acicular
Apices:
Obtuse
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour
Inflorescence Type:
n/a (male cone)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Colour (petals):
Male cone, No flowers, Yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Fruit Type:
Cone (winged seeds)
Fruit Colour:
Pink, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Oct
Additional Info:
Persistent
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
Pest Susceptibility:
Beetles or weevils, Blight or needle cast, Canker or sap rot, Caterpillar or cutworm, Sawflies or horntails or ants
Specific Pests:
Course(s):
- not used (off campus)
Location(s):
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLE) Turf Field Lab East : cv. Jakobsen's Pyramid and hybrid cv. Varied Directions