THE LARCH 241 



wood, brought about by long exposure to the intense 

 light and heat of the Alpine summers. It may be of 

 interest to note in this connection that amber is simply 

 the fossil resin of a species of Pine, Pinus succinifera, 

 long since extinct. Specimens of the wood of this 

 tree are known, containing pieces of amber, or fossil 

 resin, in the resin-forming tissues, which are quite 

 similar to those of living Conifers. 



The Larch. 



The Larch, Larix europoea, D. C ( = Abies larix, 

 Poir.), is easily distinguished from the Pines and the 

 Spruce and from all European evergreen Coniferse, 

 by the fact that the leaves are shed each autumn. 

 These, like those of the Pines, and unlike the Spruce, 

 are borne on short branches. They occur in clusters 

 of fifteen to thirty. They are long, fine, soft, and 

 needle-shaped. The cones formed in early spring are 

 small, erect, and brightly colom'ed. They ripen during 

 a single year, wherea,^ those of the Pines require two 

 or more years before the seeds mature. The male 

 cones terminate short, leafless shoots, and the female, 

 short, leafy branches. 



The Larch rarely forms pure forests in the Alps. 

 As a rule, it is mixed with the Spruce. The dis- 

 tribution of these trees is best estimated in winter- 

 time, when the Ught brown of the leafless Larches is 

 sharply contrasted with the dark green of the evergreen 

 Spruces. Pure woods of Larch do, however, occur 



