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Western Larch

Larix occidentalis

Larches are amazing conifers in that they are not evergreen. Each fall they turn golden yellow and drop their needles, leaving short stout stubs on all the twigs. The cones stay on the trees for years after the seeds have dropped and turn very dark. The stubs from which the needles grow show annual growth rings from which the following seasons needles will emerge. Larches are usually straight and slender with short whorling drooping branches. The bark on young trees is scaly and flakes easily. On mature trees the bark is reddish-brown with deep furrows and large rough ridges. These trees grow in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and southern B.C.