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Larix kaempferi

Larix kaempferi

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Spermatophyta
Class
Pinopsida
Order
Pinales
Family
Pinaceae
Genus
Larix
Species
Larix kaempferi
Synonyms
Japanese larch

Habitat / Home / Areal

It is native to the Japanese island of Hondo, in the mountains at altitudes between 1700 and 2400 m.

Botanical description

Habitus: Japanese larch has thinner, denser branches and grows to about 35 m tall. The crown is pyramidal when young, then spreads. The bark is brown, which later peels off. 

Leaf: Thinner and harder blue-green needles, with blue-white streaks on the lower strap, more pronounced in autumn. It is a conifer whose needles fall off in autumn. They are therefore deciduous (needle) trees that are bare in winter.

Flower: Flowers monoecious, males growing singly at the ends of short shoots and are globose to ovate, females nearly round, erect, surrounded by a cluster of needles.

Fruit: Cone slightly longer than that of the common larch.

Growth conditions / Cultivation / Care

It grows quickly and thrives in areas where there is plenty of soil and air moisture. It is one of the fastest growing conifers.

Use / Function and landscape

  • solitary plantings
  • planters, pots  – dwarf conifer ‘Bonsai’

Special use

  • gardens
  • graves and cemeteries

Reproduction

Seeding, cuttings.

Varieties

L. kaempferi ‘Pendula’
L. kaempferi ‘Pyramidalis Argentea’
L. kaempferi ‘Inversa’
L. kaempferi ‘Blue Haze’

Diseases and pests

Lachnelulla willkommii
Hypodermella laricis
Mycospharella laricina
Dendrolimus sibiricus