Melinda Myers

Japanese Larch

Botanical Name

Larix kaempferi

Min Zone

4

Max Zone

7

Height

70 to 90 feet

Width

25 to 40 feet

Flowers

Female flowers are .5 inch long and reddish, male flowers are smaller, yellow and catkin-like along the same twigs

Fruit

Cone: small, round, 1 to 1.5 inches, scales are curved back (reflexed) and form a rosette in appearance, persisting throughout winter

Fall Color

Gold

Light

Full sun

Soil

Moist, well-drained

Planting & Care

• Easily transplanted when dormant
• Well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral soil is best, but can tolerate pooly drained soils
• Intolerant of hot, dry or shady sites

Problems

Larch case-bearer, cankers, rusts, larch sawfly, Japanese beetles

Varieties

• Diana - pyramidal habit with contorted and twisted new growth
• Blue Haze - glaucous blue foliage
• Blue Dwarf - short, blue-green needles, red shoots, compact shrub
• Pendula - weeping form