HARDY CONIFEROUS TREES 95 



Hackmatack. (Synonyms : L. microcarpa, Des- 

 fontaines ; L. laricina, Koch.) Newfoundland and 

 Labrador to Virginia, but always on the eastern 

 side of the Rocky Mountains. Previous to 1739. — 

 Even in its native country this is a tree of moderate 

 size, 40 to 80 feet high, usually considerably under 

 2 feet in diameter, and having the trunk covered 

 with small scales. The young shoots are glaucous, 

 turning pale yellow brown the second year and 

 always smooth. Leaves slender, three-cornered, 

 with a few stomata above, two lines of them on 

 each of the lower faces, and averaging i inch in 

 length. The cones are egg-shaped, from slightly 

 under to slightly over half an inch long, and made 

 up of 10 to 13 scales, which cover most or occasion- 

 ally all of the bracts. 



This larch has often been confused with the 

 hybrid, L, pendula, from which it is distinguished 

 by its slightly shorter leaves and much smaller 

 cones. Indeed, no other larch has such small 

 cones as L, americana. Though the second species 

 of larch to be introduced, it has never been exten- 

 sively planted, and has no recommendations for 

 the production of timber in this country. Nor 

 does it possess the beauty of the European Larch. 

 As it sometimes occupies wet or swampy ground 

 in America, it might be planted in places that are 

 too wet for L. europcea in this country, where it 

 has attained a height of 50 to 70 feet. Lovers of 

 conifers would be interested in the profusion of 

 small cones it produces. 



L. DAHURICA, TuYCzaninow, Dahurian Larch. 

 (Synonym : L. davurica, Trautvetter.) Siberia. 

 1827. — Neither in an ornamental nor economic 



