886 



LARIX 



LASIANDRA 



f^!S^ 



S^-i^-e^ " — 



practiced. Nine species in tlie colder regions of the 

 northern hemisphere. Staminate lis. small, globose to 

 oblong, solitary, consisting of numerous short-stalked, 

 spirally arranged anthers; pistillate Us. larger, consist- 

 ing of several or numerous scales, with 2 naked ovules 

 at the base, each scale borne in the axil of a much longer 

 bract; cone with woody, 2-seeded scales, persistent on 

 the axis; seeds with large, thin wings, ripening the lirst 

 year. Alfred Rehder. 



The European Larch is an upright, conical grower, 

 and one of our best lawn trees. In the spring, when it 

 is covered with its new growth of soft, feathery, light 

 green foliage, it is a very striking and beautiful object. 

 As it begins growth at a low temperature, it is the first 

 of our trees to be covered with new foliage. Again in the 

 autumn it is very beautiful, as its needles turn a golden 

 color before falling, for this tree, unlike most of the 

 conifers, is deciduous after the first 

 year. In the middle West and along 

 the coast in Massachusetts, it is 

 planted for timber, shelter belts 

 and wind-breaks. Unlike its Amer- 

 ican relative, L. Americana, or 

 Tamarack, this tree grows on high 

 ground and does well on a great va- 

 riety of soils. It does not do well 

 on low, submerged ground, the 



hoi\ie of Jj, Americana. The Larch 'i\»"-^ 



is known in Europe as one of the most durable woods. \^^ 

 It does not ignite easily, neither does it splinter, and the 

 wood was in great demand for these reasons for battle- 

 ships before the ironclads displaced the wooden ships. 



The Larch stands transplanting well, but this must 

 be done very early in the spring, before new growth 

 begins. The seed is sown in beds of finely prepared 

 soil, about the middle of May, and either raked in or 

 covered very lightly by hand, not to exceed one-eighth 

 of an inch. It is usually sown in beds 4 feet wide. As 

 soon as it germinates it is shaded with lath frames, 

 raised about 10 inches above the bed. The first year it 

 makes a growth of from 2 to 4 inches, and holds its fo- 

 liage the first winter. A slight covering of hay or straw 

 should be lightly shaken over the seedlings as soon as 

 winter sets in, to prevent the seedlings being thrown out 

 by continual freezing and thawing. The frames are put 

 on again to hold the snow. During the following sum- 

 mer the frames should be removed entirely. At two 

 years old they will be from 6 to 20 inches in height, and 

 can then be moved to nursery rows or planted out per- 

 manently in the forest. The seeds should be sown 

 thicker than other conifer seed, as seldom over 60 per 

 cent germinate. Sometimes they make very little up- 

 ward growth the first and second years after trans- 

 planting, seemingly putting all their strength into the 

 side shoots in order to spread out and shade the ground 

 over their roots, a custom followed by all the conifers 

 on hot, sandy soil. This being finally accomplished, 

 they will make a rapid upward growth. 



Thos. H. Douglas. 



20:683, fig. 5. B.H. 22:8, fig. 2. -The handsomest of the 

 Larches as a lawn tree. V^ar. minor, Murr. (var. Mur- 

 raydna, Maxim. L. Jap6nica, Murr., not Carr. ). 

 Dwarfer form with smaller cones. Gt. 20:685, tig. 2. B. 

 H. 22:9, fig. 4. 

 BB. Jyi'5. without white lines, very narrow: scales 



erect-spreading, straight or slightly incurred at 



the apex. 

 decidua. Mill. {L.Eiiropa:a,'DC.). European Larch. 

 Fig. 1241. Tree, to 100 ft., with pyramidal, later often 

 irregular, head: bark dark grayish brown: branchlets 

 slender, glabrous, yellowish: Ivs. compressed, triangu- 

 lar, soft and obtuse, bright green, %-lKin. long: pis- 

 tillate fls. purplish; cones %-l!4 in. long, with many al- 

 most orbicular scales, usually finely tomentose on the 

 back N md M Eu Ut 20 "l>h4, hg ^ B H 22 7 fig. 

 1 \ ar p^ndula. Loud With jiendulous blanches: 



A. Bracts longer than the scales: scales numerous, 



stiff, spreading or recurved after maturity. 

 occldentaiis, Nutt. Tall tree, to 150 ft., with dark- 

 colored l>ark. becoming bright cinnamon-red on older 

 trunks, ;in(l with short, horizontal branches, forming a 

 narrow pyramidal head; branchlets pubescent when 

 young: Ivs. rigid, sharply pointed, triangular, keeled 

 beneath, 1-1% in. long, pale green; cone oblong, 1-lKin. 

 long: scales orbicular, almost entire, tomentose beneath. 

 Brit. Col. to Mont and Ore. S.S. 12:594. G.P. 9:497. 

 Gt. 20:685, figs,8-10. G.C. II. 25:652. B.H. 22:8, figs. 3-5. 



AA. Bracts shorter than scales. 



B. Li's. with 2 white lines beneath: scales nnmerons, 



reflexed at the apex. 



Iept61epis, Murr. {L. Kdmpferi, Sa,rg., not Gord.). 

 Tree, to 80 ft., with horizontal branches, forming a 

 pyramidal head: branchlet yellowish or reddish brown, 

 glabrous and glossj^; spurs short and globular: Ivs. 

 rather broad, obtuse, soft, J^-lHin., light or bluish 

 green: cones ovate-oblong, %-!% in. long, with emargi- 

 nate, roundish ovate scales. Jap. G.C. II. 19:88. Gt. 



sometimes confounded with the American Larch. Gt. 

 20:684, fig. 11. B.H. 22:8, fig. 1. Gn. 35, p. 245 and 39. 

 p. 84. 



Americ&na, Michx. (£. microcdrpa, Desf. L. pendula, 

 Salisb. Zi. larictna, Koch). Tamarack. Hackmatack. 

 Tree, to 60 ft., with horizontal branches, forming a 

 narrow pyramidal head, sometimes broad and open on 

 older trees; bark reddish brown: branchlets slender, 

 glabrous, often bloomy: Ivs. like those of the former, 

 but of light bluish green: cones small, oval or almost 

 globular, %-% in. long; scales few to 20, almost orbicu- 

 lar and entire, glabrous. Canada, south to Pa., west to 

 111. and Manitoba. S.S. 12:593. Em. 106. Gt. 20:684, fig. 

 7-8. B.H. 22:10, fig. 2-3. 



L. Vahiirica, Turcz. Similar to L. Americana. Tree, to 70 

 ft., sometimes procumbent: cone usu.illy with more than 20 

 scales, more spreading at maturity. Amurland, Sachaliu. Gt. 

 20:684, figs. 9-10. B.H. 22:9, figs. 5-6.— i. Chiiiensis. Beissn. 

 Tree, with glabrous branchlets : Ivs. with 2 white lines beneath : 

 cones similar to those of L. occidentalis. China.— iy. Griffithi. 

 Hook. f. & Thoms. Pyramidal tree, to 60 ft., with spreading 

 and pendulous branches: Ivs. soft, obtuse: cones 2-3 in. long, 

 oblong, with exserted and reflexed bracts. Himal. F.S. 

 12:1267-68. R.H. 1808. p. 371. Gt. 20:685, figs. 1-1. B.H. 22:10, 

 figs. 4-7. G.C. II. 25:719; 26:465.-1,. Ecempferi, Gord.=Pseu- 

 dolarlx Kiempferi.— i. Etmnpferi, Sarg.= L. leptolepis. — L. 

 Kurilensis. Mayr (L. Dahuriea Japonica, Maxim.)- Allied to 

 L. leptolepis. to 70 ft.: young branchlets deep bluish red. pu- 

 berulous: Ivs. rigid; bracts as long or somewhat shorter than 

 scales. N. Jap.— i. Ijyalli. Pari. Allied to L. occidentalis, but 

 less high; young branchlets tomentose; Ivs. quadrangular; 

 young cones deep purple, the scales with fringed margin. Brit. 

 Col. to Wash. S.S. 12:59.5. G.C. II. 25:653; 111.23:357. Gt. 

 20:685, figs. 11-13. B.H. 22:9. figs. 1-3.— i. Siblrica. Ledeb.(L. 

 Europa?a Sibiriea and var. Rossica, Regel). Allied to L. de- 

 cidua. Pyramidal tree, to 90 ft., with ascending branches; Ivs. 

 longer; pistillate fls. usually green, sometimes brown; cones 

 larger, Avith fewer but larger scales. Siberia. Gt. 20:684, figs. 1-2. 



B.H. 22;7, figs. 2-3. ALFRED ReHDER. 



LAEKSPUE. Species of Delphinium. 

 LASIAGR6STIS. See Stipa. 

 LASIANDEA. See Tibouchina. 



