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Larix decidua

Larix decidua

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Plantae
Order
Pinales
Family
Pinaceae - conifers
Genus
LARIX
Species
decidua
Synonyms
Larix europaea DC

Habitat / Home / Areal

Larch grows naturally in the mountainous areas of Central Europe – in the Alps and the Carpathians, usually at 1000-2500 m above sea level. Its habitats are sunny places where there is enough moisture, deep clay soils.

Botanical description

Habitus: deciduous coniferous tree; from the pine family (Pinaceae). It is one of the few coniferous trees that loses its needles in winter. The tree is up to 40 meters high, the trunk is slender, it can be up to 160 cm in diameter. 

Flower: They bloom from March to May at the same time as they leaf out. Female and male flowers are located on the same branch. Male flowers are yellowish, ovoid to spherical, 5-10 mm long, covered with scales, female cones are dark red, ovoid to spherical, erect, 1-2.5 cm long, single, on a short stem, grow upright, forming a yellowish-brown, oval, upright cones.

Leaf: thin, light green needles, 1-4 cm long, 0.6-1.6 mm wide, soft, blunt or short-pointed, collected in tufts of 20-40 on short branches, turn golden yellow in autumn before falling off.

Growth conditions / Cultivation / Care

Deep humus soil, moist and well-drained places; normal, slightly alkaline soil; moderate climate; sunny habitat

Gallery

Use / Function and landscape

Larch wood is valued in construction. It is a durable and easy-to-work wood, with a beautiful reddish-brown color. Permanently under water, it is used for building boats and ships, for decks and masts, and it is suitable for making fences, for lamination and other things.

It is planted as a solitary tree or in group plantations (cemeteries, city parks), and it is also suitable for beds, terraces and rest areas.

Special use

It is planted as a solitary tree or in group plantations (cemeteries, city parks), and it is also suitable for beds, terraces and rest areas.

Reproduction

Original species are propagated by seeds that require stratification, cultivated species are propagated by grafting.

Varieties

L. decidua ‘Compacta’

L. decidua ‘Fastigiata’

L. decidua ‘Pendula’

Diseases and pests

It is prone to attacks by the fungus Lachnellula willkommii, which is known as larch cancer and also by Phytophthora ramorum Only Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) and hybrids are resistant to it.