Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch
tamarack (American larch)
Pinaceae (Pine family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
tamarack (American larch)
Pinaceae (Pine family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Small tree, to 15 m (rarely 25 m) tall; delicate foliage; brownish, scaly bark; branches long, slender and pliable.
Leaves:
Needles deciduous; blue-green, turning yellow in the autumn; in bundles of 12-20 on short spur branches; 5-22 mm long.
Cones:
Seed cones egg-shaped, erect, 10-20 mm long, 7-20 mm thick, purplish, becoming brownish with age; pollen cones small, egg-shaped.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Red
Blooming Period:
Mid Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Larix laricina
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
690 | 6 | 2305 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
2 | 0 | 60 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
283 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
6 | 1 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
207 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BWBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(164), ESSF(4), SBS(8), SWB(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet to moist fens, bogs, swamps and some moist, rich slopes in the montane zone; frequent in NE BC, rare southward to C BC; N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF, and S to C AB, MN, WI, N NJ and ME.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Larix alaskensis W. Wight
Larix laricina var. alaskensis (W. Wight) Raup