Larix decidua
Pinaceae
March to April
It is found throughout the country.
See the BSBI distribution map for European Larch
It is a neophyte which was introduced to the UK in
the late 1620s and first recorded from the wild in the
1880s. It used to be planted extensively for timber
but has now been largely replaced by other
species. It is grown in plantations, parks and
gardens.
It grows readily from seed and becomes naturalised
in open habitats.
In the early 1970s I was doing field work in Grizedale
Forest in the Lake District and used to collect Larch
seedlings to grow in my garden for more controlled
growth experiments. As the seedlings grew so did
the complaints from the neighbours.
European Larch is the UK’s only deciduous coniferous
tree, growing up to 46m.
Female flowers (cones) appear before the male
flowers (cones) and the leaves. Female cones replace
long shoots and male cones replace short shoots.
Female cones are oval, up to 35mm and erect. They
have bright pink to red, erect (non-recurved) cone scales.
They are attractive and sometimes called Larch roses.
Male cones are tufts, 1cm in diameter, with cream
stamens producing a lot of pollen.
Seed cones are oval, light, brown and up to 3cm.
Seeds are shed at the end of the first year but the
cones may stay on the tree for several years.
Leaves of short shoots are bright green, linear and
up to 3cm.
There are up to 40 in a cup-like rosette.
Long shoot leaves extend the twigs and are yellowish.
The bark is greyish-brown.
In the open (as in the picture here), European Larch
has a conical shape and has branches from top to bottom.
In plantations the lower branches drop because there
is not enough light.
European Larch is prone to larch canker and is nowadays
less often grown for timber than the faster growing
Japanese Larch or the hybrid between the two.
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European Larch, Dorset
Female, male and previous years' cones
Close-up of female cone - erect scales
Sprouting short shoots and immature male cones
Close-up of male cone with cream stamens
1-year old cone
Rosettes of new short shoot leaves
Mature short shoot leaves
Twig and branch with grey-brown bark
Tree in March with old cones still attached
Trunk - grey bark
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