THE LARCH 139 



europcea) belongs, is distinguished among Firs by its 

 deciduous foliage, and the whole joyousness of spring- 

 seems epitomised in the emerald glory of its April 

 frondescence. The light-green needles appear in 

 tufts, as they do also in the evergreen Cedars, upon 

 the old wood of the slender branches, surrounding 

 the extremities of "dwarf shoots," which gradually 

 lengthen out until, as on the youngest shoots, each 

 needle stands alone as one of a spiral series. 

 The catkins soon follow the leaves, 



" When rosy plumelets tuft the Larch," 



in April or May, the yellow male flowers being in 

 nearly spherical clusters, whilst the female ones form 

 the said " rosy plumelets." These young cones are 

 sometimes greenish white ; but the red or purple- 

 coloured ones are said to belong to varieties yielding 

 better timber. The scales of these cones, after fertil- 

 isation, become reddish brown in hue, and the cones 

 lengthen to more than an inch, with an egg-shaped 

 outline, before these scales spread outwards to dis- 

 charge their winded seeds in autumn. The cones 

 stand erect upon a short, but strong, bent foot-stalk 

 or peduncle, and often remain for years upon the 

 branches after having discharged their seeds, be- 

 coming then of a dead grey colour. The small 

 ovate seed is more than half surrounded by the 

 broad membranous wing, which often causes it to 

 be carried some distance by the wind, this tree ripen- 

 ing its seed and sowing itself in this country as 

 freely as does the Scots Fir. 



In favourable situations the Larch grows to a 



