E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Larix occidentalis Nutt.
western larch
Pinaceae (Pine family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Larix occidentalis
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Introduction

The western larch is unusual in that it is a deciduous coniferous tree that loses its needles in the winter.

Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Large tree, up to 55 (rarely 70-80) m tall; bark thick, furrowed into large plates, scales cinnamon colored; young twigs glabrous to hairy, not woolly-hairy.

Leaves:
Needles deciduous; pale green (yellow in the autumn); stiff; 15-30 per spur; 25-45 mm long; broadly triangular in cross-section.

Cones:
Seed cones 25-30 (35) mm long, yellowish-brown; pollen cones yellow, about 10 mm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Red

Blooming Period:
Spring

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall

Source: The USDA

Key to the Species and Taxonomic Notes

1. Seed cones about 1-2 cm long; bracts shorter than scales; needles 1-2.5 cm long, triangular in cross-section.....................Larix laricina

1. Seed cones usually over 2.5 cm long, bracts longer than scales; needles 3-4 cm long.

2. Needles 4-angled in cross-section; young twigs strongly woolly-hairy; cones usually over 3.5 cm long; trees usually at or near timberline..........................Larix lyalli

2. Needles flattened or triangulur in cross-section; young twigs glabrous to somewhat hairy; cones rarely as much as 3.5 cm long; trees of montane forests...................Larix occidentalis

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia.

Habitat / Range

Moist to dry slopes in the montane zone; common in SC and SE BC; E to SW AB, and S to OR, NW MT, and N ID.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Larix occidentalis

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
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	110	1121	2635
Slope Gradient (%)	0	28	235
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	0	325	360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	0	3	7
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	C
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	1955
Modal BEC Zone Class	ICH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	AT(2), ESSF(166), ICH(1026), IDF(379), MS(283), PP(16)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Pinaceae
Flora North America treatment for Larix occidentalis
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-11 7:41:05 PM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.