1S22 



LAKCH 



LAKIX 



LARCH: /-ari>. 



LARDIZABALA (afK>r the Spanish naturiilist Lardiz- 

 jibal y I rilx'i. Ltirilizalmlticia. Two shrubby evergreen 

 cHmbors in Chile with once- to thrice-lcriiatc Ivs. : fls. 

 iliax-ious, |)urple-brown; se))als (i, and (i petaloid 

 neetaries. sometimes eidled petals; the staminate fls. in 

 Jiondulous racemes, with ti connate stiuneus; the pis- 

 tiUatc ones soUt:iry, with distinct sterile stamens and 

 3 oylindric ovaries, develojjinfj into oblong, many- 

 soeded berries. The pidji^- e<lible fr. is sold in tlie 

 Chilean markets and cordage is made of the fibrous sts. 

 Only the following species, which is similar to the well- 

 known AkMa qiiiiiald but li:us short-stalkeil pointed 

 Ifts. in 3's, is cult, in S. Calif, for its handsome foliage 

 and the odd-looking dark-colored fls.; 

 it is reailily i)rop. by i-uttings of half- 

 ripened wood imder glass. L. bitemata, 

 Ruiz I'i: Pav. Lvs. twice ternate or on 

 the flowering brancldets usually simply 

 ternate; Ifts. leathery, ovate, acute or 

 mucronate, entire or with 1 or 2 almost 

 spiny teeth, d;u-k green and glossy 

 above, paler and reticulate beneath, 

 2-4 in. long: staminate fls. about 1 in. across, purji 

 brown, in a dense, about ir)-fld. droojiing raceme; the 

 petaloid nect;iries lanceolate, white, the pistillate fls. 

 slightly larger. solitar\-, .slender-stalked: fr. oblong, 2-3 

 in. long. Winter or spring. B.M.4501. G.C. 111.52:467. 

 Gn. 28, p. 489. J.F. 1:5. B.H. 3:339. P.M. 1, j). 28. 



Alfked Rehder. 



LARIX (ancient Latin name). Pinaccie. Larch. 

 T.\M.\R.\i-K. Ornamental deciduous coniferous trees 

 chiefly grown for their bright or light green foliage and 

 regular habit. 



Branches whorled, at least while young: lvs. linear, 

 in crowded clusters on short spurs excejjt on the leading 

 shoots where they arc spirally arranged: fls. mona'cious; 

 staminate fls. small, globo.se to oblong, solitary, con- 

 sisting of numerous short-stalked, spirally arranged 

 anthers; pistillafe fls. larger, consisting of several or 

 numerous scales, with 2 naked ovides at the base, each 

 st'ale borne in the axil of a much longer bract: cone 

 with woody, 2-seeded scales, jiersistent on the axis; 

 seeds with large, thin wings, ri]5ening the first year. — 

 About 10 or 12 species in the colder regions and the 

 high mountains of the northern hemisphere. 



The larches are handsome.trces of regular pvTamidal 

 habit, but in old age becoming sometimes irregular; 



they are particularly 

 handsome in spring with 

 their light green tender 

 foliage and stuilded with 

 their usually bright pur- 

 ple pistillate flowers. 

 'I'hey are all hardy North 

 except the Himalayan 

 L. Grijjithii, and are often 

 planted iis i)ark trees, 

 chiefly for the light green 

 foliiige aiid the regular 

 conical, or in sonic varie- 

 ties iM'nduJous, habit. 

 The most beautiful is 

 probably L. li-jdolejiiti, 

 with the foliage turning 

 bright yellow in fall, 

 while the others assume 

 ordy a pale yellow color. 

 They are also very valu- 

 able forest trees, especi- 

 ally for the northern and 

 mountainous regions; no 

 forest tree goes farther 

 north than the larch, 

 2109. Laiij occidentalis. \y. 5 j) reaching in North 



America 67° and in Siberia 72" of latitude. The wood 

 is hard, lieavy and very durable, and much used for 

 construction, that of L. occiiUidalis being considered the 

 best of all American conifers. From the European 

 laj-ch turpentine is obtained. The bai'k contains tan- 

 nin, and an extract is used for tanning leather. The 

 larch grows in ahnost any kind of soil, including clay 

 and limestone, and prefers a somewhat moist, but well- 

 drained soil and an open situation; the American larch 

 grows well even in swamps. Unfortunately several 

 insects and fungi [jrey on the larch, and sometimes do 

 considerable damage, especially the leaf-eating larvie 

 of some moths. Propagation is usually by seeds .sown 

 in spring, and the young seedlings shaded;" varieties are 



f ' , / 





2110. LarLx decidua, 

 commonly known as L. 

 euTopasa, ( X ) 2) 



grafted on seedlings, mostly on those of L. decidtta 

 (L. curopsra), either outdoors by whip- or cleft-grafting 

 or in the greenhouse by veneer-grafting; they may also 

 be increased by cuttings of nearly ripened wood under 

 glass or by layers, but this method is rarely practised. 



A. Bracts longer than the scales: scales numerous, stiff, 

 s/ircatting or recurved after maturity. 



occidentalis, Nutt. Fig. 2109 (adajited from Pacific 

 R. R. Report). Tall tree, to 1,50 ft., with dark-colored 

 bark, becoming bright cinnamon-red on older trunks, 

 and with short, horizontal branches, forming a narrow 

 jjyramidal head: branehlets pubescent when joung: 

 lvs. rigid, sharply pointed, triangular, keeled beneath, 

 1-1% in. long, pale green: cone oblong, l-l,'-2 in. long; 

 scales orbicular, ahnost entire, tonientose beneath. 

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

 Gt. 20:685, figs. 8-10. G.C. II. 2.5:652. B.H. 22:8, 

 figs. 3-5. B.M. 8253. R.H. 1909, pp. 252, 253. 



AA. Bracts much shorter than scales. 



B. Lvs. unth 3 white lines beneath: scales numerous, 

 rejlexcd at the apex. 



leptolepis, Murr. (L. Kaempjeri, Sarg., not Carr. L. 

 jupunica, Carr.). Tree, to 80 ft., with horizontal 

 bran(rhes, forming a pyramidal head: branehlets yellow- 

 ish or reddish brown, glabrous and gloss_\-; spurs short 

 and globular: lvs. rather broad, obtu.se, soft, }-'2-l '2 in., 

 light or bluish green: cones ovate-oblong, J'^-1,'2 '"• ' 

 long, with emarginate, roundish ovate scales. Japan. 

 S. I. F. 1:2. G.C. II. 19:88; III. 40:290. G.VV. 8, p. 

 496. Gt. 20:685, fig. 5. B.H. 22:8, fig. 2,— Th.> hand- 

 .somest of the larches as a lawn tree. Var. minor, Murr. 

 (var. M nrrai/dna. Maxim. L.japdnica, MtuT., nut Carr.). 

 Dwarfer form with smaller cones. Gt. 2():ti85, fig. 2, B.H. 

 22:9, fig. 4. Var. prostrata, Beissn., a prostrate form. 



BH. Li's. without while lines, very narrow: scales erect- 



Sjireadiny, .straight or slightly incurved at the apex. 



c. Scales usually puberulous or finely tonientose, .-slightly 



incurved at the apex, numerous. 



decidua, Mill. (L. europka, DC. L. LArix, Kars- 



tenj. KiRoi'EAN Larch. Fig. 2110. Tree, to 100 ft.. 



