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Larix occidentalis

Common name:	Western Larch	Family:	Pinaceae
Author:	Nutt.	Botanical references:	11, 60, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Western N. America - British Columbia to Montana, south to Washington and Oregon.
Habitat:	Mountain valleys and lower slopes, often in swampy areas, usually in mixed stands[60].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Western Larch [P,DEN1,B,FEIS,L,H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	occidentalis = of the west;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Pinales. Pine family

Physical Characteristics

A decidious tree growing to 45m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 4 and is frost tender. The seeds ripen in October. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Canopy.

Edible Uses

Gum; Manna; Sap; Sweetener.

A gum, or resin, is produced under the bark. It is a gum arabic substitute, very soluble in water, and is used as a thickening agent, stabilizer, emulsifier and for chewing[183, 226]. It exudes from the trunk and branches but commercially it is usually obtained by extraction from wood chips as a by-product of the lumber industry[142, 161].
The sap can be harvested in the spring and, when concentrated by boiling off much of the water, is made into a sweet syrup[183, 257].
A source of an edible manna[183]. No further details are given, but this report probably refers to the gum mentioned above[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antirheumatic; Antiseptic; Blood purifier; Poultice; Salve.

The gum obtained from under the bark is used as a dressing in the treatment of cuts and bruises[257].
An infusion of the bark has been used in the treatment of coughs, colds and tuberculosis[257]. A decoction has been used as a wash on wounds and sores[257].
The sap has been chewed in the treatment of a sore throat[257].
The leaves and stems are antirheumatic, antiseptic, appetizer and blood purifier[257]. A decoction has been used both internally and externally in the treatment of cancer, and is said to help an emaciated patient get better and gain weight[257]. A decoction of the stem tips has been taken internally and also used as a soak on arthritic limbs and as a wash for cuts and sores[257].

Other Uses

Cosmetic; Fuel; Paint; Tannin; Wood.

A red powder can be made by heating the resin and then grinding it. This powder was mixed with fat and used as a cosmetic, or mixed with balsam poplar buds (Populus spp.) and used as a paint[226, 257].
The bark contains tannin[229].
Wood - hard, strong, very heavy, very durable in the soil[82, 226]. The tree produces long straight knotless trunks and is a very important commercial crop in its native range[226]. It is used for posts, cabinet making, construction, plywood etc[46, 61, 171]. A very good fuel[60].

Cultivation details

Prefers an open airy position in a light or gravelly well-drained soil[200]. Plants are intolerant of badly drained soils, but they tolerate acid and infertile soils[200]. Succeeds on rocky hill or mountain sides and slopes[200]. A north or east aspect is more suitable than west or south[1].
This is a very cold-hardy species when fully dormant, but on the whole the trees are a disappointment in Britain. They are often excited into premature growth in this country by periods of mild weather in the winter and are then subject to damage by late frosts and cold winds. They also often suffer from canker and die-back[185]. Good trees, however, can be very good and fast growing, often putting on new annual growth of 1 metre when young[185].
Older trees develop a very thick bark, which protects them from forest fires[226].
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[200].
Open ground plants, 1 year x 1 year are the best for planting out, do not use container grown plants with spiralled roots[200]. Plants transplant well, even when coming into growth in the spring[200].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter in pots in a cold frame. One months cold stratification helps germination[113]. It is best to give the seedlings light shade for the first year[78]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick out the seedlings into individual pots. Although only a few centimetres tall, they can be planted out into their permanent positions in the summer providing you give them an effective weed-excluding mulch and preferably some winter protection for their first year. Otherwise grow them on in the cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in early summer of the following year. The seed remains viable for 3 years[113]
If you are growing larger quantities of plants, you can sow the seed in an outdoor seedbed in late winter. Grow on the seedlings in the seedbed for a couple of years until they are ready to go into their permanent positions then plant them out during the winter.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[L] Scientific and Common Names (some photos) from Lepidoptera and some other life forms
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for the family Pinaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[142] Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975 ISBN 0-12-136450-x
Readable but not very comprehensive.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[185] Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975 ISBN 0-11-710012-9
A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[226] Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989 ISBN 0889025649
Very good on identification for non-experts, the book also has a lot of information on plant uses.

[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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