2350 



ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. 



PART III. 



Genus IV. 



^ 



Z/A^RIX Tourn. The Larch. Lin. Syst. Monoe'cia Monadelphia. 



Identification. Tourn. Inst., 586. ; Bauh. Pin., 493. ; Bellon. Arb. Conif., p. 23. 25. ; Tab. Icon., 



Synonymes. Pinus of Lin. and others ; A^h'ies, Rich.; '^c\hze, Fr.; Lerchenbaum, Ger. ; Laricio, 



Ital. 

 Derivation. From lar, fat, Celtic ; the tree producing abundance of rosin. 



Description. Deciduous trees, some of them of large dimensions ; natives 

 of tlie mountainous regions of Europe, tiie west of Asia, and of North 

 America ; highly valued for the great durability of their timber. The com- 

 mon larch is found extensively on the alpine districts of the south of Ger- 

 many, Switzerland, Sardinia, and Italy ; but not on the Pyrenees, nor in Spain. 

 The Russian larch (L. e. sibirica) is found throughout the greater part of 

 Russia and Siberia, where it forms a tree generally inferior in size to L. 

 europaeV. The black, or weeping, larch {L. americana pendula) is a slender 

 tree, found in the central districts of the United States ; and the red larch 

 (L. americana rubra), also a slender tree, is found in Lower Canada and 

 Labrador. In Britain, all the species are ornamental ; but the first is the 

 only one at all deserving of culture as a timber tree. Much more experience 

 having been gained in Scotland respecting the larch than in England, and 

 more by Mr. Gorrie than by any man in Scotland that we know, we have sub- 

 mitted the whole of our article upon the larch to him, and he has kindly sent 

 us some notes and comments, which will be found in their proper places. 



5! 1. Zy. EUROP^''A Dec. The European, or co/w???on, Larch. 



Identification. De Cand. FI. Fr., No. '2064. 



Synonymes. Pinus L&rix Liii. Sp. Pi., 1420., Syst., ed. Reich., 4. p. 175., iri/ld. Sp. PL, 4. p. 503., 

 Hunt. Kvel. Si/l., p 267-, Trew in Nov Act. A. N. C, App., 3. t. 13., Pall. Ross., 1. p. 1., Pall. 

 Itin., 1. p. 451." and 2. p. 127., Allion Ft. Ped , 2. p. 178., ViU. Dnitph., 3. p. 807. ; Ait. Hort. Kew., 

 ed. 1,3. p. 369., Jfilld. Bert. Baumz., p. 210., Lamb. Pin., ed. 2., t. 48., Hall. Helv., No. 1158., 

 Du Rot Harbk., ed. Pott., 2. p. 85., Reitter und Abel. Abbild., t. <)G., Willd. Baum., p. 274., Hayne 

 Dend., p. 175., Hayne Abbild., p. 211., Hoss Anleit., p. 15. ; ^"bies Lin. Hort. Cliff:, 450., Gmel. 

 Sib., 1. p. 176. ; L&rix decirtua Mill. Did., No. 1. ; Larix fblio decfduo, &c. Bav/i. Hist., 1. p. 265., 

 Hort. Angl., p. 43., Du Ham. Arb., 1. p. 332., Tourn. Inst., p. 586.; iarix Bauh. Pin., p. 493., 

 Dod. Pempt., p. 868., Cam. Epit., 45, 46. ; .^'bies X&rix Lam. Illust., t. 785. f. 2., Poir. Diet., 6. 

 p. 571., N. Du Ham., 5. p. 287. t. 7961., Rich. Mem. sur Ics Conif., p. 65., Lindl. in Penn. Cyc, 1., 

 p. 32. ; Meleze commune, Fr. ; Lorche, I^orcher-Fichle, gcmeiner Lerchenbaum, Terbentin- 

 baum, Europaische Ceder, weisser Lerchenbaum, Ger. 



Engravings. Nov. Act. A. N. C, App., 3. t. 13. f. 8. 28. ; Pall. Ross., 1. t. 1. ; Ludw., &c., t. 86. ; 

 Blackw., t. 477. ; Wood. Med. Bot., t. 210. ; Reitt. and Abel. Abbild., t. 96. ; Du Ham. Arb., 1. 

 t. 1.; Hayne Abbild., t. 1.54.; N. Du Ham., 5. t. 79., f. 1.; Lamb. Pin., ed. 2., 2. t. 48. ; our 

 fig. 2258. ; and the plates of this tree in our last Volume. 



Spec. Char., S)'c. Leaves fascicled, deciduous. Cones ovate-oblong; scales 

 reflexed at the margin, lacerate; bracteoles j)aniluriform. {Willd.) Leaves 

 linear, soft, 1 in. long. Cone from 1 in. to l:^iu. long, erect. A tall pyra- 

 midal tree, a native of the alps of the south of Europe; in cultivation in 

 Britain since 1629; flowering in March or April. 



Varieties. All the larches in cultivation are, probably, only different forms of 

 the same species ; but, as the American larches, which have small fruit, 

 come to]eral)ly true from seed, we shall treat them as one S|)ecies, and the 

 European larch as another. Tiic latter is ciiaracterised by large cones, 

 rapid growth, and robust habit; and the former by small cones, slow growth, 

 and slender habit. 



5" L. c. 1 commiinii Laws. Man., p. .386., the common European Larch, 

 has branches "aspiring towards their points; branciilets very nume- 

 rous, and forming a dense conical or pyramidal top ; foliage of a 

 light grassy or vivid green, and bark ratlier more rugged than that 

 of /y. c. 2 h'lxa." 



