Larch

Larch (Larix), a genus of trees of the natural order Coniferae, differing from firs (Abies) in having the cones ovate-oblong, about an inch in length, the scales of which are attenuated at the tip, and not falling off from the axis of the cone when fully ripe, and the leaves deciduous and in clusters, except on shoots of the same year, on which they are single and scattered. The Common Larch (L. europaea or Abies Larix) is a native of the mountains of the south and middle of Europe, and is found also in Asia, where it extends much farther north than in Europe, even to the limits of perpetual snow. The date of the introduction of the larch into Britain is fixed by some authorities at about 1629; but it was for many years treated as a rare and curious plant, and grown in pots in greenhouses by the few that possessed it, till about the middle of the 18th century, when it began to be extensively planted as a forest-tree. It has changed the aspect of whole districts, particularly in Scotland, where it was introduced at Dawick, Peeblesshire, in 1725, and at Dunkeld and Blair, Perthshire, in 1738. The perfectly erect and regularly tapering stem of the larch, its small branches, its regular conical form, and its very numerous and very small leaves, make its aspect peculiar, and very different from that of any other tree seen in Britain. It attains a height of 60 to 100 feet, and an age of 200 years. The larch grows rapidly, and is useful even from an early age; the thinnings of a plantation being employed for hop-poles, palings, &c., and the older timber for a great variety of purposes. It is very resinous, does not readily rot (many notable Italian pictures are painted on panels of larch), is not readily attacked by worms, and is much used in shipbuilding. It is, however, very apt to warp, and is therefore not well suited for planks. Larch bark is used for tanning, although not nearly equal in value to oak-bark. In Siberia, where large tracts of larch-forest are not unfrequently consumed by accidental fires, the scorched stems yield, instead of a resin, a gum similar to gum-arabic, reddish, and completely soluble in water, which is known as Orenburg Gum, and is used for cementing and in medicine, and, notwithstanding a somewhat resinous smell, even as an article of food. In warm countries a kind of Manna (q.v.) exudes from the leaves of the larch in the hottest season of the year, having a sweetish taste, with a slight flavour of turpentine. It is gathered principally in France, and is known as Briançon Manna, or Lareh Manna. The larch woods of Britain have of late years suffered greatly from a disease in which the centre of the stem decays; the nature and causes of this disease are very imperfectly understood, but it seems to be sufficiently ascertained that those plantations are peculiarly liable to it which are formed where any kind of fir has previously grown, and those least so which are regularly thinned, so that the trees enjoy abundance of fresh air. The larch does not dislike moisture, but stagnation of water is very injurious to it, and thorough drainage is therefore necessary. There are varieties of the common larch remarkable for crowded branches, for pendulous branches, and for other peculiarities, which are sometimes planted as ornamental trees. The Common American Larch (L. americana)—the Tamarack or Hackmatack—distinguished by very small cones, is common in the northern parts of North America, and on the Alleghany Mountains, often covering extensive tracts. It is a noble tree, much resembling the common larch, and its timber is highly valued. Other American species are the Western Larch (L. occidentalis)—also called Tamarack—and the smaller, alpine, L. Lyallii. The Himalayan Larch (L. Griffithsii) abounds in the Himalayas, but is generally a small tree, 20 to 40 feet high. Its cones are larger than those of the common larch. The Golden Larch (L. Kämpferi), a native of Japan, is described by Fortune, who introduced it in 1852, as a beautiful tree growing to the height of about 120 to 130 feet, with corresponding girth of bole. It has not proved hardy in any except the mildest parts of Britain. See C. Y. Michie, The Larch (Edin. 1882).