Tree of the Week

Week 13 – Larix decidua; Larch

Chosen this week because of the “new bright green needles combined with distinctive cones” (thanks, Alice) Larch is a great conifer for a number of reasons. As it is deciduous you get the benefit of seasonal change but with the aesthetic qualities of a conifer. The new leaves are held in soft tufts along the twig, interspersed with upright pink female cones which look a bit like tiny pineapples. The  yellow male cones are smaller, drooping down. The twigs are very knobbly, though this is more obvious in winter, and the autumn colour is a bright yellow, often dominating a hillside. They are native to mountainous regions in central Europe and do well in similar terrain here. Form is reliably fairly conical and mature cones are about 3cm long, scaly, egg-shaped and woody. Fast-growing and of course used widely for timber, but currently threatened by Phytophthora ramorum, about which you can read more on the Forestry Commission’swebsite.