Family: Pinacea
Genus: Larix
Trees of the genus Larix are conifers which, unlike the vast majority of conifer species, lose their needles in winter. There are fewer species in this genus, than there are in Pinus or Spruces.

Three species of Larches are grown in this country: The European (Larix decidua), the Japanese (Larix kaempferi) and the Hybrid (Larix eurolepis), the latter originating accidentally from a cross pollination of the first two at the beginning of the 20th Century. Pictured here is the European.

On favoured sites the Hybrid grows more quickly than the other two.

The needles grow in spidery tufts on short stumps along the twigs. The European Larch has needles of a lighter coloured green than the other two. The cones of the European has straight scales while the cones of the Japanese curl back at the tips. The Hybrid tends to vary between the other two.

The sawn wood has dark rings in the "winter wood" and lighter rings in the "summer wood". The heartwood of Larch is very durable against fungi and insect attack. In the countryside it is a valued material for estate work. The timber has been greatly used in boat construction, when large enough quantities and sizes were available.