Trees of New York Stale 89 



PINACEAE 



L;iiix l;iri('iii;i (Dii Hoi) Kciph. [ Tjurix aiiuM-ic'iiia Miclix.] 



Tamarack, Larch, Hackmatack 



Habit — A tree of iiuHliuni stature, under optimum conditions sometimes 

 r)0-110 feet in heigflit, with a trunk diameter of 2-3 feet, usually much 

 sm.-iijer, shrubby near tlie northern limit of its range. Cro-\\Ti in young 

 trees narrowly pyramidal, often extending to the ground, in older trees 

 in abundant light, forming a broad, open head. Branches slender, slightly 

 ascending, feathery witli the foliage. 



Leaves — Linear, triangular, rounded above and ridged beneath, pale green, 

 •ji-iy^ inches in length, deciduous in the autumn of the first year. On the 

 growth of the season they occur singly in spirals, on the older growth 

 in clusters terminating short lateral spurs. 



Flowers — Appearing in May and June with the leaves, monoecious, borne 

 in cones. Staminate cones arise laterally along the 1-2-year twigs, 

 subglobose, sessile, about ^/i of an inch long, yellow at maturity. Ovulate 

 cones lateral on 1-3-year twigs, scattered, oblong, about % of an inch 

 long, short-stalked, consisting of rose-colored bracts with green tips 

 subtending rose-red fertile scales. 



Fruit — An oblong, obtuse, chestnut-brown cone, i/i>-% of an inch long, borne 

 on a stout, short, incurved stalk, attaining full size in the autumn of the 

 first year and setting free its seeds during the fall and winter. Opened 

 cones turn darker with age and persist on the twigs for a season or two. 

 Cone-scales about 20 in number, strongly concave and semi- orbicular, 

 usually with erose margins. Seeds light brown, winged, about Vs of an 

 inch long. 



Winter characters — Terminal branchlets liglit orange-bro^vn with small, 

 lustrous, globose, red buds. Two and three-year branches darker, with 

 short lateral spurs. Mature bark thin, close, separating at the surface 

 into thin, reddish browTi scales. 



Habitat — In the southern part of its range, mostly confined to cold, springy 

 swamps, further northward iiiliabitiug well-drained uplands and hill- 

 sides. Extending to the limit of tree growth beyond the Arctic Circle 

 and becoming greatly dwarfed. 



Range — • Newfoundland west to Alaska and British Columbia, south through 

 the northern states to northern Pennsylvania, West Virginia, northern 

 Indiana and Illinois, Wisconsiu and central Minnesota. A transcontinen- 

 tal species. Zones B, C, D, and E. 



Uses — "Wood hard, heav';)-, strong, coarse-grainedi, light browTi with thin, 

 nearly white sapwood, very durable in contact with the soil. Used largely 

 ' ' hewn ' ' for fence posts, telegraph and telephone poles, railroad ties, etc. 

 The tree is gro^^^l for ornament and is especially adapted, though not 

 restricted, to moist sites. 



