﻿Trees of New York Stale 89 



PINACEAE 



Larix larii'ina (Du Roi) Koch, rijinix amoiicaiia Michx.] 



Tamarack, Larch, Hackmatack 



Kabit — A tree of medium stature, imder optimum conditions sometimes 

 50-110 feet in height, ^\-ith a trunk diameter of 2-3 feet, usually much 

 smailer, shrubby near the northern limit of its range. Cro\\Ti in young 

 trees narrowly pyramidal, often extending to the ground, in older trees 

 in abundant light, forming a broad, open head. Branches slender, slightly 

 ascending, feathery ■with the foliage. 



Leaves — Linear, triangular, rounded above and ridged beneath, pale green, 

 %-l^/4 inches in length, deciduous in the autumn of the first year. On the 

 growth of the season they occur singly in spirals, on the older growth 

 in clusters terminating short lateral spurs. 



Flowers — ■ Appeai-ing in May and June with the leaves, monoecious, borne 

 in cones. Staminate cones arise laterally along the 1-2-year twigs, 

 subglobose, sessile, about Y^ of an inch long, yellow at maturity. Ovulate 

 cones lateral on 1-3-year twigs, scattered, oblong, about ^ of au inch 

 long, short-stalked, consisting of rose-colored bracts with green tips 

 subtending rose-red fertile scales. 



Fruit — An oblong, obtuse, chestnut-broAvn cone, %-% of an inch long, borne 

 on a. stout, short, incurved stalk, attaining full size in the autmnn of the 

 first year and setting free its seeds during the fall and winter. Opened 

 cones turn darker with age and persist on the tmgs for a season or two. 

 Cone-scales about 20 in number, strongly concave and semi-orbicular, 

 usually with erose margins. Seeds light brown, ^\•inged, about Ys of au 

 inch long. 



Winter characters — Terminal branchlets light orange-bro\ra ^vith small, 

 lustrous, globose, red buds. Two and three-year branches darker, with 

 short lateral spurs. Mature bark thin, close, separating at the surface 

 into thin, reddish brown scales. 



Habitat — In the southern part of its range, mostly confined to cold, springy 

 swamps, further northward inhabiting well-drained uplands and hill- 

 sides. Extending to the limit of tree growth beyond the Arctic Circle 

 and becommg greatly dwarfed. 



Range — Newfoundland west to Alaska and British Columbia, south through 

 the northern states to northern Pennsylvania, West Virginia, northern 

 Indiana and Illinois, Wisconsin and central Minnesota. A transcontinen- 

 tal species. Zones B, C, D, and E. 



Uses — Wood hard, heavy, strong, coarse-grainedi, light brown with thin, 

 nearly white sapwood, very durable in contact with the soil. Used largely 

 "hewn" for fence posts, telegraph and telephone poles, railroad ties, etc. 

 The tree is grown for ornament and is especially adapted, hough not 

 restricted, to moist sites. 



