Larch

Larch (Larix laricina)

Also known as: tamarack, hackmatack

Bloom time: April – May

Additional photos:

• Larix laricina budbreak
  credit: Rowena Hopkins
• Larix laricina male cones. The bottom cluster is before bloom and top cluster is shedding pollen.
  credit: Madonna Bishop
• Larix laricina shedding. Male and female cones are shown.
  credit: Madonna Bishop
• Larix laricina leafing
  credit: Melanie Priesnitz

General: Medium-sized coniferous tree; grows up to 20 m tall, with scaly bark. In autumn, the needles turn yellow and fall from the tree.

Leaves & Twigs:

• The long, slender branches have small woody stumps that produce the needle bundles.
• Needles, 1-2.5 cm long, emerge as soft green tufts during spring growth. Each tuft can have 10-20 needles.

Flowers & Fruits:

• Male and female cones can appear on the same branches, but observe male cones only for PlantWatch.
• Male cones: small, less noticeable mounds of yellow-brown pollen sacs that wither and fall after shedding pollen.
• Female cones: pinkish-purple mini-cones about 1 cm long.

Habitat: Grows in moist to wet areas.

PlantWatch Pointers: Tag a typical tree for observation.

To Observe:

• First bloom: when the first pollen is being shed by the male cones on the observed tree (3 places).
• Mid bloom: when 50% of the male cones are abundantly shedding pollen.
• Leafing: when the tufts of needles are lengthening considerably and starting to spread open at the tip (3 places).

Distribution Map:

This species is monitored in:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon

Larch is the only conifer that sheds all of its needles annually.