Larix decidua

Larix decidua
European larch
European larch in l'A Bran, (1798 m) Val d'Annivier.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Larix
Species: L. decidua
Binomial name
Larix decidua
Mill.
Distribution

Larix decidua, common name European larch, is a species of larch native to the mountains of central Europe, in the Alps and Carpathian Mountains, with disjunct lowland populations in northern Poland and southern Lithuania. Its life span is given by different authorities as anything between 100 and 350 years, but the most reliable is normally about 200 years.[1] It is claimed that one of the larches planted by the second Duke of Atholl at Dunkeld in 1738 is still standing.[2]

Description

European larch morphology features from book: Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz, 1885, Gera, Germany.

Larix decidua is a medium-size to large deciduous coniferous tree reaching 25–45 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter (exceptionally, to 55 m tall and 2 m diameter). The crown is conic when young, becoming broad with age; the main branches are level to upswept, with the side branches often pendulous. The shoots are dimorphic, with growth divided into long shoots (typically 10–50 cm long) and bearing several buds, and short shoots only 1–2 mm long with only a single bud. The leaves are needle-like, light green, 2–4 cm long which turn bright yellow before they fall in the autumn, leaving the pale yellow-buff shoots bare until the next spring.

The cones are erect, ovoid-conic, 2–6 cm long, with 10-90 erect or slightly incurved (not reflexed) seed scales; they are green variably flushed red when immature, turning brown and opening to release the seeds when mature, 4–6 months after pollination. The old cones commonly remain on the tree for many years, turning dull grey-black.

It is very cold tolerant, able to survive winter temperatures down to at least -50 °C, and is among the tree line trees in the Alps, reaching 2400 m altitude, though most abundant from 1000–2000 m. It only grows on well-drained soils, avoiding waterlogged ground and is not shade tolerant.

Subspecies

There are two subspecies:

Uses

L. decidua is cultivated as an ornamental tree for planting in gardens and parks.[3]

Wood

The wood is tough and durable, but also flexible in thin strips, and is particularly valued for yacht building; wood used for this must be free of knots, and can only be obtained from old trees that were pruned when young to remove side branches.

Small larch poles are widely used for rustic fencing.

Bonsai

The European larch is a popular bonsai species, with many unique specimens available in European circles, and is popularly used in bonsai forest groups.[4]

Ecology

The seeds are an important food for some birds, notably siskin, lesser redpoll and citril finch, while the buds and immature cones are eaten by capercaillie.

See also List of Lepidoptera that feed on larches

European larch needles are the only known food for caterpillars of the case-bearer moth Coleophora sibiricella; its cone scales are used as food by the caterpillars of the tortrix moth Cydia illutana.

Invasive species

L. decidua is classed as a wilding conifer, an invasive species which spreads into the high country of New Zealand. It was planted by the New Zealand Forest Service for erosion control.

History of cultivation in Britain

It is thought to have been first cultivated in Britain in 1629.[5] John Evelyn encouraged its wider planting and use.[6] Three successive Dukes of Atholl planted it widely[7] and the fourth Duke wrote "Observations on Larch" in 1807 encouraging further its cultivation, which he practiced on a large scale.[8]

Larix decidua

References

  1. ↑ http://www.plantwise.org/KnowledgeBank/Datasheet.aspx?dsid=29967
  2. ↑ http://www.dunkeldandbirnam.org.uk/component/sobipro/3330-Grounds-of-Dunkeld-Hilton-House?Itemid=0
  3. ↑ "Larix decidua". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  4. ↑ D'Cruz, Mark. "Ma-Ke Bonsai Care Guide for Larix decidua". Ma-Ke Bonsai. Retrieved 2011-07-08.
  5. ↑ Parkinson, Paradisus
  6. ↑ The Gardener's Dictionary, Vol.1, Philip Miller, 1835
  7. ↑ A History of British Forest-trees: Indigenous and Introduced, Prideaux John Selby, 1842
  8. ↑ The Philosophical Magazine and Journal, Vol. 53, 1819
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