from Clintonia Volume 1, Number 1, January 5, 1986, page 1:

The Larches of the Niagara Frontier Region

by Ernst E. Both

The larches belong to a well‑defined genus (Larix) of the pine family (Pinaceae). This genus comprises about ten species, several varieties and hybrids. Confined entirely to the northern hemisphere of our planet, they are circumpolar, ranging from roughly latitude 40∞ N to about 72∞ N.

The larches are remarkable conifers for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that their needles are deciduous, turning from green to yellow in the fall, being shed from late October through November, to grow again in early spring. A number of boletes (tube‑bearing fleshy fungi of the genera Suillus, Fuscoboletinus and Gastroboletinus) form mycorrhizae exclusively with larches, a symbiosis beneficial to both the trees and the fungi.

It was this latter feature which attracted me to a study of the larches of the Niagara Frontier Region. Though almost every reference consulted cited only one larch native to this area (the American Larch, Larix laricina), it soon became apparent that several other larches had been planted fairly extensively in a number of localities I frequented in search of boletes. About two years ago I began a survey of the planted larches to ultimately decide if there is any correlation between the variations within given species of larch‑bolete and the larch species with which it occurs.

So far I have identified three species and two hybrids of larches found in the Niagara Frontier Region, which I will briefly discuss.

1. AMERICAN LARCH or TAMARACK, Larix laricina (DuRoi) Koch. As mentioned, this is the only larch native to our area, recognized because of its small cones (the smallest of any of the larches), with very few scales. Found mainly around bogs, some fairly old trees may be found in the Southern Tier, for example at Morton's Corners and along Genesee Road.

2.. PENDULOUS LARCH, Larix pendula Salisbury ‑ a hybrid, possibly of natural origin, said to occur along the north shores of Lake Ontario (= L. decidua X laricina Henry). The cones are of a size intermediate between those of the American Larch and the European Larch. A few isolated trees are found in Emery Park and Chestnut Ridge Park.

3. EUROPEAN LARCH, Larix decidua Miller. The cones are up to four centimeters long, with numerous, straight scales. A native particularly of the Alpine regions of Europe, this species was planted extensively in the 1920's and 1930's (judging from the sizes of the trees) and is widely distributed throughout the region. Fine mature trees can be found, for example, along the shores of Clear Lake, the water reservoir of Gowanda State Hospital, visible from Route 75, south of Langford.

4. JAPANESE LARCH, Larix kaempferi (Lambert) Sargent (syn. L. leptolepis Gordon and under that name sold in nurseries). A native of Japan (especially Hokkaido), it apparently has taken the place of the European Larch as a planted tree in recent years, featuring a fuller, more symmetric crown in cultivation. The cones are very characteristic, being rosette‑like with strongly recurved scales. They are often strung like beads on pendulous branchlets. Several sizable young plantations are found around Langford.

5. DUNKELD or SCOTTISH LARCH, Larix eurolepis Henry (syn. L. marschlinsi Coaz) an artificial hybrid produced around the turn of the century in Scotland (= L. leptolepis X decidua Henry, L. kaempferi X decidua Coaz). Characterized by large cones, intermediate between those of the Japanese Larch and the European Larch, with scales less recurved. A fine stand can be found at the corner of Shirley Road and Ketchum Road in the town of North Collins.

The only detailed reference dealing with the genus Larix is: C. H. Ostenfeld and C. Syrach Larsen, 1930, "The Species of the Genus Larix and Their Geographical Distribution," Copenhagen, 106 pp. It does not discuss cultivated larches.

Please note: If you are interested in helping with a survey of the larches (planted or otherwise) in this region, please contact Ernst Both at the Museum of Science.