Common Larch Seeds

Larix Decidua seeds

Habitat

native to North and Central Europe
Zone 2
Habit and Form

deciduous conifer
80′ to 100′ tall by 20′ to30′ wide
pyramidal in habit with horizontal branches and weeping branchlets
becomes more irregular with age
fine to medium texture, coarse in winter
moderate growth rate

Summer Foliage

soft, flat needles
1″ to 1.25″ long
bright green in spring, darkening with maturity
found in groups on spurs or in a spiral arrangement down long branches

Autumn Foliage

needles turn yellow before dropping
typically showy
Flowers

monoecious
both male and female strobili cover tree in early spring
female flowers: egg-shaped and about 0.25 to 0.75″ long, in reds, pinks, yellows, or green
male flowers: smaller and yellow
moderately attractive

Fruit

purple cones dry to brown
young cones somewhat showy
ovoid, 1″ to 1.5″ long
scales pubescent on backside
scales are overlapped, but not reflexed
cones are persistent

Bark

grayish brown outer bark
loose elongated plates reveal a reddish inner bark
young stems are yellowish and furrowed

Culture

easily transplanted when dormant
well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral soil is best, but can tolerate poorily-drained soils
full sun
tolerant of air polution and wind
Landscape Uses

screen
specimen
park tree
Liabilities

soil compaction can be detrimental
larch case-bearer and woolly larch aphid
accumulation of cones and twig debris on ground
ID Features

spurs on branches
cones are not reflexed
cones are persistent on tree
Propagation

by seeds
cultivars by grafting
Cultivars/Varieties

While many cultivars exist, the only types available commercially are weeping cultivars.

‘Pendula’ – This cultivar is an umbrella for various pendulous forms which are usually grafted on a standard to form a small weeping tree.

‘Varied Directions’ – A unique plant developed by Dr. Sid Waxman of the University of Connecticut, this cultivar forms a weeping, spreading plant with main branches that radiate out in an irregular pattern (hence the name). The ultimate form of this plant seems to depend on the graft height, as it may form a prostrate shrub or small tree.