Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Larix decidua
Introductory
SPECIES: Larix decidua
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Sullivan, Janet. 1994. Larix decidua. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/lardec/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
LARDEC
SYNONYMS :
Larix europaea D. C. [12]
Larix larix Karst. [17]
SCS PLANT CODE :
LADE
COMMON NAMES :
European larch
common larch
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for European larch is Larix
decidua Mill. (Pinaceae) [12]. There are four or five geographic
races, sometimes given status as subspecies or varieties (Alpen [Alpine],
Sudeten, Tatra, Polen [Polish], Rumanian) [17,25]:
Larix decidua var. decidua
Larix decidua var. pendula Henk and Hochst. [7]
Larix decidua var. polonica Raciborski [15]
Larix decidua var. sudetica [15]
Larix decidua var. tatrensis [15]
European larch hybridizes with Japanese larch (L. leptolepis) when they
are planted together (they are not sympatric). The hybrid,
L. xeurolepis A. Henry, is called the Dunkeld larch [3,7].
LIFE FORM :
Tree
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Larix decidua
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
The native range of European larch is separated into four distinct,
closed regions plus several outliers centered in the Alps. It extends
from Switzerland south to Italy [3,14,15]. European larch been widely
planted throughout Europe and Great Britain, and has also been planted
in southern Canada and the northeastern United States. It has become
naturalized in Maine, Michigan, New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire,
Vermont, and Rhode Island [12,22,24].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES10 White - red - jack pine
FRES19 Aspen - birch
STATES :
CT ME MI NH NY RI VT
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
NO-ENTRY
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
SAF COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
European larch is a subalpine or montane species, occurring in the Alps
with Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra) and mountain pine (P. montana). It
sometimes occurs naturally in pure stands [25]. At middle elevations
its associates include Norway spruce (Picea abies) and European silver
fir (Abies alba), and at the lowest elevations it may be found with
European beech (Fagus sylvatica) [3].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Larix decidua
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
European larch wood is durable and strong [3], of moderately high
density, with excellent toughness and stiffness. It is used for pulp
[2], framing timber, roof tiles, flooring, and log houses. It is
suitable for veneer and other decorative purposes [14]. Larch (Larix
spp.) wood is resistant to rot, and is therefore valuable for posts,
poles, railroad ties, mine props, wharves, and pilings [3,17].
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
NO-ENTRY
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
European larch is listed by Vogel [21] with other species that are of
"limited importance or use" for revegetation of surface mine
disturbances. It is primarily used for this purpose in Pennsylvania,
West Virginia, and Ohio. It is recommended for rehabilitation of sites
at higher elevations in the northern Appalachians [21].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
European larch is planted as an ornamental and in shelterbelts [15].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
European larch has been used in the eastern United States for
reforestation [7].
Silvicultural systems: Group selection is successful with European
larch, providing that advance regeneration has not been suppressed for
very long; suppressed seedlings do not respond well to release [13].
Planting in mixtures with more tolerant species works well if the stands
are thinned to allow European larch to maintain a dominant crown
position; it does not usually suppress its more tolerant neighbors [25].
European larch planted on slopes are susceptible to stem bending ("saber
growth form") and breakage from snow [13].
European larch grows rapidly and produces heavy litter which forms a
thick, tightly packed mat. In Wisconsin, 10-year-old European larch
plantantions produced twice as much litter by weight as 10-year-old red
pine (Pinus resinosa) [18].
Insects and disease: European larch seeds are vulnerable to seed
weevils [17], adult trees on moist sites are vulneralbe to larch canker
[25]. European larch is host to a number of insect species, none of
which have been of economic importance [25].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Larix decidua
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
European larch is an introduced deciduous conifer. Mature height
usually ranges from 30 to 130 feet (9-40 m) in the United States and
Canada; larger individuals have occasionally been reported, particularly
from Europe (up to 177 feet [54 m]) [10,17]. The needles are spirally
arranged in fascicles of 30 to 65 needles, on short shoots. The bark of
young trees is thin, smooth, developing fissures as it matures. On
older trees the bark is very flaky and heavily ridged with wide fissures
[14,15]. In the Alps, the bark at the base of very old trunks is up to
1 foot (30 cm) thick [3]. The crown of young trees is symmetrical,
open, and narrowly conic. Old trees often have large, buttressed low
branches that run level for 8 to 10 feet (2.4-3 m) before turning upward
[10,15]. European larch is characterized as deep-rooted [25].
European larch exhibits rapid early growth and occasionally early
senescence (at 30 to 40 years of age), particularly in mixed stands.
The average age at senescence is between 100 and 150 years of age [10];
ages of 600 years or more have been reported for European larch in the
Alps [3,25]. The oldest European larch on record was 672 years old in
1955. Record height for European larch is reported as 184 feet (56 m)
for a specimen in Baden, Germany [25].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
European larch is monoecious. Minimum age of first reproduction is
around 10 years. Large seed crops are produced at 3- to 10-year
intervals. The seeds are wind dispersed. Most larch (Larix spp.) seeds
germinate without pretreatment. European larch seeds can be stored for
3 to 7 years. Viable seeds may remain in the cone for 1 to 2 years
[17]. Stored seed germination rates are improved by stratification at
32 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit (0-4 deg C) for 20 to 60 days [14].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
European larch grows best on uniformly moist, deep, fertile soils. It
does not do well on pure sand [10]. Preferred soil textures include
loamy sands, loams, and silty loams. European larch does not occur on
poorly drained or very wet sites [2]. It tolerates soils with a lower
pH limit ranging from 4.0 to 5.0 [10,21], and will tolerate pH of up to
7.8 [25]. In the central Alps, the upper elevational limit of European
larch ranges from 6,500 to 8,000 feet (1,981-2,438 m). The lower
elevational limit in the Alps is around 1,400 feet (427 m) [3];
plantations at lower elevations often suffer from larch canker due to
the increased moisture [25].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
European larch is intolerant of shade at any age [10]. Its open crown
transmits a considerable amount of light so that it does not tend to
suppress more tolerant understory species [25].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
The growing season of European larch in North America is at least 100
days, longer than that of many native conifers. Bud burst occurs in
early spring, before the ground has completely thawed. Height growth
continues at an appreciable rate until September [1].
The female cones appear before leaf-out in early spring and pollination
occurs from March to May or June [14,17]. The seed cones ripen from
September to December of the same year, and the seeds are dispersed from
September to spring [17]. In Great Britain, European larch cones do not
open until spring [3]. European larch needles die and are abscised in
early November in the British Isles; some are retained through December [15].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Larix decidua
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Information was not available regarding fire ecology or adaptations of
European larch. However, young European larch is probably susceptible to
fire because the bark is thin. Thick bark on mature European larch [15]
and the ability to produce new foliage each year may make them somewhat
fire resistant. In Europe, European larch commonly occurs in
upper-elevation forest zones that rarely burn [10].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Larix decidua
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
NO-ENTRY
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
NO-ENTRY
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
The thick, tightly packed litter produced by European larch may produce
fire behavior that differs from what occurs in natural fuels in North
America [18].
The caloric value of ovendried European larch needles ranged from 4,608
to 4,637 calories per gram. The caloric value of ovendry litter
averaged 3,996 calories per gram [8].
European larch was planted in a fuelbreak on a dry, sandy site in
Wexford County, Michigan, in 1967. After 6 years, European larch had the
highest survival (45 percent) and growth (60 inches [152 cm]) of the
nine species planted [23].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Larix decidua
REFERENCES :
1. Cook, David B. 1941. Five seasons' growth of conifers. Ecology. 22(3):
285-296. [10909]
2. Einspahr, Dean W.; Wyckoff, Gary W.; Fiscus, Marianne (Harder). 1984.
Larch--a fast-growing fiber source for the Lake States and Northeast.
Journal of Forestry. 82(2): 104-106. [22389]
3. Elwes, H. J.; Henry, A. 1907. The trees of Great Britain and Ireland.
Edinburgh: privately printed. [Pages unknown]. [22373]
4. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
5. Fernald, Merritt Lyndon. 1950. Gray's manual of botany. [Corrections
supplied by R. C. Rollins]. Portland, OR: Dioscorides Press. 1632 p.
(Dudley, Theodore R., gen. ed.; Biosystematics, Floristic & Phylogeny
Series; vol. 2). [14935]
6. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
7. Harlow, William M.; Harrar, Ellwood S. 1937. Textbook of dendrology. New
York: McGraw-Hill Book Company Inc. 527 p. [22371]
8. Hough, Walter A. 1969. Caloric value of some forest fuels of the
southern United States. Res. Note SE-120. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station.
6 p. [10517]
9. Kartesz, John T.; Kartesz, Rosemarie. 1980. A synonymized checklist of
the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Volume
II: The biota of North America. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North
Carolina Press; in confederation with Anne H. Lindsey and C. Richie
Bell, North Carolina Botanical Garden. 500 p. [6954]
10. Kostler, Josef. 1956. Silviculture. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd. 416 p.
[22369]
11. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
12. Little, Elbert L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees (native
and naturalized). Agric. Handb. 541. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 375 p. [2952]
13. Matthews, J. D. 1989. Silvicultural systems. Oxford: Clavendon Press.
284 p. [22372]
14. Miller, J. T.; Knowles, F. B. 1988. Introduced forest trees in New
Zealand: recognition, role, and seed source. 3. The larches. Larix
decidua Miller - European larch, Larix kaempferi (Lambert) Carr. -
Japanese larch, Larix X eurolepis A. Henry - hybrid larch. FRI Bulletin
No. 124. Rotorua, New Zealand: Ministry of Forestry, Forest Research
Institute. 17 p. [22390]
15. Mitchell, Alan F. 1972. Conifers in the British Isles: A descriptive
handbook. Forestry Commission Booklet No. 33. London: Her Majesty's
Stationery Office. 322 p. [20571]
16. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
17. Rudolf, Paul O. 1974. Larix Mill. larch. In: Schopmeyer, C. S., ed.
Seeds of woody plants in the United States. Agric. Handb. 450.
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 478-485.
[7689]
18. Sartz, Richard S.; Tolsted, David N. 1974. Larch litter removal has no
significant effect on runoff. Res. Note NC-163. St, Paul MI: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest
Experiment Station. 2 p. [11223]
19. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
20. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982.
National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573]
21. Vogel, Willis G. 1981. A guide for revegetating coal minesoils in the
eastern United States. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-68. Broomall, PA: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest
Experiment Station. 190 p. [15575]
22. Seymour, Frank Conkling. 1982. The flora of New England. 2d ed.
Phytologia Memoirs 5. Plainfield, NJ: Harold N. Moldenke and Alma L.
Moldenke. 611 p. [7604]
23. Johnson, Von J. 1975. Hardwood fuel-breaks for northeastern United
States. Journal of Forestry. 73(9): 588-589. [10921]
24. Voss, Edward G. 1972. Michigan flora. Part I. Gymnosperms and monocots.
Bloomfield Hills, MI: Cranbrook Institute of Science; Ann Arbor, MI:
University of Michigan Herbarium. 488 p. [11471]
25. McComb, A. L. 1955. The European larch: its races, site requirements and
characteristics. Forest Science. 1(4): 298-318. [22642]
FEIS Home Page
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