Short Description
The european larch is a deciduous conifer that can reach heights of over 50 metres. Its crown is typically irregular and pyramidal.
The needles are soft, narrow and up to three centimetres long. They stand in bundles on the short shoots. They are light green at first.They darken with time. European larch sheds its needles in winter.
The bark is greyish-yellow to grey and longitudinally fissured. The bark is irregularly scaled with reddish furrows.
The male flowers are yellow and stand in smaller cones. The female flowers are pink to purple and stand together in larger cones.
The mature cones are roundish, light brown and erect. The seed scales are loosely attached.
Features
European larch
Larix decidua
needles grow in bundles on short shoots
soft needles
In the city
In the city, the larch is mostly planted in parks. It prefers fresh to dry sites with moderately nutrient-rich, loamy soils. The exhaust pollution of the city has a negative effect on growth.
Fun Facts
The European larch is the only native conifer that sheds its needles in winter.
The flowering period is from March to May.
It grows up to 600 years old. Individual specimens are even over 800 years old.
In autumn the needles turn golden yellow.
The female cones align themselves against the gravity, while the male cones grow in the direction of the gravity.
- Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
- Usage:
In the past, the bark was used for tanning because of the tannins it contains. It dyes leather almost black.
The light green, young needles can be used to flavour numerous dishes. They taste sour and tart at the same time.
Sources
Habitus, Dominicus Johannes Bergsma, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:L%27A_de_Bran,_(1798_m)_Val_d%27Anniviers._Europese_larix_(Larix_decidua)_01.JPG
_Val_d'Anniviers._Europese_larix_(Larix_decidua)_01.JPG){kind=link}
Nadeln, Alice Kracht, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://species-id.net/openmedia/File:Larix_decidua_(3).JPG
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weibliche Blütenzapfen, Alice Kracht, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://offene-naturfuehrer.de/web/Datei:Larix_decidua_(6).JPG
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Page „Europäische Lärche“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 11.12.2016, 15:25 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Europ%C3%A4ische_L%C3%A4rche&oldid=160538279 (Accessed: 31.03.2017).