Larix laricina - American Larch

Sizes available: #1 (Trade gallon)

Basics: zones 2-5, 40-80' x 15-30', full sun, this is a deciduous conifer with bristly, short needles coating the branches and turning yellow prior to shedding in the fall. Cones appear in spring on mature trees (apx. 40 years) with mast crops every 3-6 years, the rounded cones are bright red and turn brown as they age. The seeds are released 4-6 months after pollination. Wants a consistently moist to wet, acidic soil, shallow-rooted.

Common names: American Larch, Tamarack, Eastern Larch, Hackmatack, Black Larch, Red Larch

Family: Pinaceae

Origin/Distribution: from central Alaska, the Yukon, and British Columbia to Newfoundland, south to Michigan, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. Native to Maine.

Habitat: peat-forming ecosystems (muskeg), wetland areas under power lines or in open woods, bogs, marshes. Tree associations: Black Spruce, Balsam Fir, White Spruce, Quaking Aspen, Northern White Cedar, Black Ash, Red Maple, American Elm, Balsam Poplar, Jack Pine, Paper Birch, and Yellow Birch. Shrub associations: Dwarf Birch, Swamp Birch, Willows, Dogwoods, Speckled Alder, Labrador Tea, Bog Rosemary, Leatherleaf, Blueberry, Huckleberry, Cranberry.

More: Larch is a pioneer species at the bog/shrub stage of vegetative development. Too deep water can cause die back. We see them around midcoast Maine in bogs, and the shallow water of swamps and marshes. We are at the warm end of this tree's range, but they grow well here in the right conditions and this could even be in a big pot without drainage holes and filled with peaty soil if you are so inclined (like I am). The wood of the Larix laricina has been used for snowshoes, pulpwood, posts, poles, fuel, older log homes, "corduroy roads", and survey markers. It has also been used medicinally and the needles and branches can be used to make tea. Cut branches of the bright green, emergent foliage good for spring bouquets. May cause contact dermatitis in some people. 

Even More: Porcupines, Erethizon dorsatum, eat the inner bark, Snowshoe hares, Lepus americanus, eat the seedling trees, Red squirrels, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, eat the seeds, as do numerous birds including the White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis, Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, Veery, Catharus fruscescens, and the Common Yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas, all of which are native to Maine. Although Beavers, Castor canadensis, prefer deciduous trees for food, they will use larch for building and will eat it if preferred trees are scarce. They will also girdle conifers such as larch in order to make way for deciduous trees such as willow, aspen, poplar, and birch to establish (in essence, farming). Numerous insects feed from this tree including the non-native and very damaging Larch Sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii. There is much information on the internet about Larix laricina's insect, animal, and fungal associations if you would like to dive deeper.

Source: whips from Cold Stream Farm

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons