The Larches 



25 



The bark is roughened by small, roundish, flat scales of reddish colour which 

 flake off abundantly. 



The twigs are slender and pliable and in winter covered with knobby buds. 

 They are from yellowish- to reddish-brown in colour. 



The leaves, needle-like and M to 13^ in. long, are somewhat triangular in 

 cross-section and grow in clusters of from twelve to twenty on short, spur-like 

 growths or knobs on the twig. They drop off every fall and leave the tree bare 

 in winter, as is the case with all the larches. 



^"^"^^^ 



Appro/ /mote nor ///em //m/J' 



of TAMARACK 

 L. laxicitiBi 



The cones are small, rarely more than }/2 in. long, stalked, and composed of 

 about twenty chestnut -brown scales. 



This tree is found from Labrador to the Rocky mountains and north to the 

 mouth of the Mackenzie river, where, along with the black spruce, it is found at 

 the northern limit of tree growth. In the southern part of its range it is confined 

 chiefly to bogs and swamps and there associates with black ash and balsam fir. 

 In the north it is found in better-drained situations, such as slopes of rivers and 

 streams. 



For strength and durability the wood of the tamarack is surpassed in Canada 

 only by that of Douglas fir, which it closely resembles. Its use for shipbuilding 

 was extensive in past years but the supply of suitable material for this purpose 

 is now very limited. The wood is valued for pumps, tanks, and cisterns, for build- 

 ing construction, and vehicle supphes. It is highly valued for ties on account of 

 its strength and hardness, and for poles on account of its tapering form. 



