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  6. Larix Decidua

Larix Decidua

Common names: European larch, larch 

Irish name: Learóg 

Latin name: Larix decidua 

Family: Pinaceae 

Origin: Native to mountains of central Europe and upland areas in France, Germany, and Austria 

Tree type: Deciduous conifer tree

How it Looks

Shape, Bark, Twigs

Mature larch can grow up to 40m tall. Its mid and upper branches are down-swept with ascending ends, whereas its lower branches are heavy and dropping. The bark can be greyish to pinkish brown, developing wide and thick vertical fissures with age. Twigs are grey-yellow or slightly pink and hairless.  

Buds

The buds alternate along the twig and are short round woody knobs. 

Leaves

Larch leaves are characteristic of all conifers, being needle-like with a waxy coating. However, unlike the better-known evergreen conifers, larch is deciduous, meaning it drops its leaves for part of the year.  

The needles grow in clusters, like rosettes, along the twigs from short woody knobs or shoots. They are light green, soft, and grow between 2 and 4cm long. They turn bright bronze-yellow before falling in autumn.  

Flowers

European larch is monoecious, meaning both male and female flowers are found on the same tree. They can be seen from March to April; the male flowers appear shortly after the females.  

Female flowers are attractive clusters of rosy, pink scales found erect at the tips of branches. They are often known as ‘larch roses’ and typically grow 8mm in size. Male flowers are found clustered together on the underside of branches. Each round cluster is about 5mm in size and consists of many creamy yellow anthers. The tree is wind-pollinated. 

Fruits

After being pollinated by wind, the female flowers develop into brown barrel-shaped cones with a hollow top. This process takes around six months. Once ripe and around 3–4cm, the cones gradually open their scales to release winged seeds into the wind. The dead cones can stay on the tree for several years after the seeds have been released.  

Similar Species

There are two similar trees in Ireland, which you could easily confuse with European larch. These include the Japanese larch, Larix kaempferi, and a hybrid of the European and Japanese larch, Larix x eurolepis. The main difference between the European and Japanese species is that the needles on the Japanese variety are slightly broader, and its cone scales open out far wider like the petals of a rose.

 

 

Where to Find It

The European Larch is native to the mountains of central Europe and upland areas in France, Germany, and Austria. It is now widespread in Ireland after being introduced (presumably) in the 17th century for its high timber quality and its attractive autumn foliage. Larch is known to be the only deciduous conifer native to Europe. European larch requires a fertile, free draining, yet moist site, struggling in very wet or very dry conditions.

Cultural Importance

 History | Myth, Legend and Folklore

History

According to a study carried out in Italy, European larch was being used as a fuel source by Neanderthal hominids as early as c. 300,000 to 40,000 years ago. Furthermore, one of the oldest surviving artefacts made from larch is the Shingir Idol, a c. 12,000-year-old wooden figure that was discovered in a Russian bog in the 19th century.  

Evidence from excavations at Bronze Age (c. 2300-800 BC) copper and salt mining sites in Mitterberg and Hallstatt, in Austria, demonstrates that European larch was one of the main types of timber used in the creation of the underground shafts, platforms and galleries necessary to support mining activities. Larch remained popular throughout Europe for centuries on account of its decay-resistant timber. Indeed, it is thought that the city of Venice in Italy is built on larch pilings.  

Historically, larch has been used to make farming implements, carts, wheelbarrows, ladders, furniture, fencing, gates, boats and bridges, and to produce tannin, turpentine, charcoal and paper. It was also renowned for its medicinal properties and was traditionally used to treat a range of ailments, including coughs, colds and skin conditions. 

During the early modern period, the European larch became a popular ornamental tree. It was introduced to Britain in the 1620s. One of the oldest known examples in the UK is the ‘Parent Larch’ in Dunkeld, Scotland, which was introduced from Tirol in Austria, and planted by the second Duke of Atholl in 1738. The Dukes of Atholl, also referred to as ‘the planting Dukes’, are known for their extensive plantation of European larch, covering 4000 hectares. The Dukes harvested and sold larch wood for the purpose of shipbuilding, and the HMS Atholl, the first of 14 Royal Navy ‘Atholl class’ ships, built in c. 1818, was made from larch grown on the Duke of Atholl estate. The HMS Atholl later became a member of the West Africa Squadron, a fleet of British ships that was assigned to patrol the African coast in an attempt to end the transatlantic slave trade that continued to operate even after slavery was declared illegal in Britain in 1807.   

It is likely that European Larch was first cultivated in Ireland in the 18th century. It was planted on estates, parks and gardens throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum in County Kilkenny is home to some of the finest specimens of larch in Europe. 

Myth, Legend and Folklore

In different European cultures, the larch was associated with protection, and was believed to be powerful in warding off evil spirits, especially when burned. In Siberia and Finland, the larch was thought to be the ‘world tree’ and was thus important to shamanic practice. In the same connection, it is believed that larch wood was also used to make shamanic drums. 

Value to Wildlife

Larch's feathery foliage and more open canopy make conditions much lighter on the woodland floor than other conifer forests. This provides better conditions for native ground flora such as bluebells, wood sorrel, creeping soft grass, and important wildlife shrubs like bramble. 

Sparrow hawks are known to nest in the canopy, while smaller birds like chaffinch, siskin, redpoll, crossbill, and red squirrels feed on the cone seeds.  

Threats

Larch canker, Lachnellula willkommii, causes large numbers of cankers to form on the branches and trunks of infected trees, eventually killing them.  

Larch is susceptible to the introduced pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum.  P. ramorum was first recorded in Ireland in 2002. It causes dieback of the crown, resinous cankers on the trunk, excess cone production and blackening and retention of needles. Control has resulted in the removal of more than 1,300 hectares of larch forests on the island of Ireland. 

Uses

Larches’ fast growth, especially in their youth, along with their valuable timber, made them a very sought-after tree for centuries. Larch timber is 50% harder than Scots pine, and because of this, it is used for external joinery such as fencing, gates and estate repair work. It is also used in structural joinery such as roofing and beam work and for cladding flooring and furniture-making and is still popular with boatmakers. Larches are one of the most elegant conifers and are often used as ornamental trees. 

References

Irish Tree Explorers Network

Líonra Taiscéalaí Crainn na hÉireann

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