50 The Larches 



persist for a time, leaving, when falling, a ring-like scar at the base of the newly 

 formed twig. The leaves are deciduous, usually turning yellow before dropping, 

 and are borne on short lateral branchlets, many crowded into sheathless fascicles, 

 narrow, linear, triangular or rarely 4-sided, rounded above, keeled and stomata- 

 bearing beneath, and contain 2 resin-ducts close to the epidermis. The flowers 

 are monoecious, appearing ivith the leaves. The staminate inflorescence is borne 

 on short leafless lateral branchlets, globose to oblong, sessile or short-stalked, and 

 consists of many spirally arranged short-stalked 2-celled subglobose anthers, 

 opening crosswise or diagonally. The pistillate inflorescence is lateral, on leafy 

 branchlets of a previous season, its base surrounded by the inner scales of the bud, 

 subglobose and nearly sessile, composed of few or many spiral, nearly orbicular 

 thin scales, having two collateral, inverted ovules at the inner base. The bracts 

 are paper-like, long-tipped, longer than the scales, and scarlet. The cones are 

 erect, rather small, subglobose to oblong-cylindric, short-stalked, composed of 

 persistent, thickish, suborbicular to oblong-ovate, concave, woody scales, which 

 are more or less irregularly toothed and often striate lengthwise, gradually becoming 

 smaller and sterile toward each end of the cone; the bracts are longer or shorter 

 than the scales, the lower usually persistent on the stalk of the cone. The two 

 seeds at the base of each fertile scale are nearly triangular, rounded on the sides, 

 crustaceous, hght brown, somewhat shining; the endosperm is copious and fleshy, 

 the wing oblong, longer than the seed ; cotyledons usually 6. 



The name applied to these trees by Adanson is the classical one- for the old 

 world Larch. The North American species are: 



Eastern tree; cones i to 2 cm. long, the scales exceeding the bracts. i. L. laricina. 

 Western trees; cones 2.5 to 5 cm. long, the scales shorter than the bracts. 



Leaves 3-angled; twigs pubescent or at length smooth. 2. L. occidentalis. 



Leaves 4-angled; twigs woolly. 3. L. Lyallii. 



I. TAMARACK — Larix laricina (Du Roi) Koch 

 Pinus laricina Du Roi. Pinus pendula Alton. Larix americana Michaux 



The American Larch, also called Hackmatack, Black larch, and Red larch, 

 occurs from Newfoundland and Labrador to Alaska, northward reduced to the 

 height of 2.5 meters or less, but retaining an arborescent form, and ranges south- 

 ward to southern New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota; it grows 

 mainly in swamps and on banks of lakes and streams, attaining a maximum height 

 of 35 meters with a trunk diameter of one meter. 



Its branches are slender and horizontal, forming a slender conic tree. In 

 the open it eventually develops long, irregular upper branches, making a broad 

 irregularly rounded head. The bark is 1.5 to 2 cm. thick, peeling off into thin, 

 closely adhering irregular scales of a red-brown color; the younger bark is thin- 

 ner, smoother, and bluish gray. The twigs are slender, smooth, frequently 

 covered with a bloom, becoming dark dull brown with age. The winter buds 



