Larix kaempferi

It is a medium-sized to large deciduous coniferous tree reaching 20-40 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter. The crown is broad conic; both the main branches and the side branches are level, the side branches only rarely drooping. The shoots are dimorphic, with growth divided into long shoots and bearing several buds, and short shoots only 1-2 mm long with only a single bud. The leaves are needle-like, light glaucous green, 2-5 cm long; they turn bright yellow to orange before they fall in the autumn, leaving the pinkish-brown shoots bare until the next spring.

Natural forest of Larix kaempferi in Tochigi (FFPRI 1996). A line drawing is available online at Wu and Raven (1999). Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional Conservation status Larix kaempferi (Lambert) Carriére 1856 Common names Japanese larch; Karamatsu (Farjon 1990). Taxonomic notes Synonymy (Farjon 1998): * Pinus kaempferi Lambert (1824). * Larix kaempferi (Lamb.) Carr. var. More

Larix kaempferi is planted in the highlighted USDA hardiness zones to the left and may seed into the landscape. See a map of the states in which Japanese larch has escaped (opens a new window). More