Illustrations of Conifers. 61 



LARIX SIBIRICA (Ledebour). RUSSIAN LARCH. 



Veitch's Man. Conif. ed. 2, p. 402 (1900). 



Trees of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. II. p. 874 (1907). 



A TREE of narrowly pyramidal habit attaining in Siberia a height of 

 over 100 feet with a trunk 9 to 12 feet in girth. Bark like that of the 

 common Larch. 



Young branchlets slender, pubescent or glabrous ; those of the 

 second year greyish-yellow, shining. Leaves soft in texture, very long 

 and slender, up to 2 inches in length, narrower than in L. europcea, 

 sharp pointed, deeply keeled on the lower surface, with stomata on 

 both sides. 



Cones ovoid-cylindric with the terminal scales not gaping, up to 

 1 inch long. Scales fewer than in L. europcea, convex from side 

 to side and from their base to their apex ; outer surface finely 

 grooved, covered with a reddish- brown pubescence ; bract ovate or 

 oblong with a cuspidate point quite concealed. Seed wing shorter 

 than the scale. 



Larix sibirica is allied to the European Larch but differs in its 

 leaves and cones. It is widely distributed in north-eastern Russia 

 and Siberia. 



This Larch was introduced by the Duke of Atholl in 1806 from 

 Archangel but suffers so much from spring frost on account of the 

 early opening of the buds that it is not likely to prove a success in 

 this country and no specimens larger than nursery plants are known. 



The timber which is very hard and durable is now imported in 

 some quantity. 



The Siberian Larch was added to the Bayfordbury Pinetum in 

 1908 and fifty young specimens were also planted in Bell's Wood, 

 Bayford. The photograph represents a native specimen. 



