Larch

European larch (Larix decidua), illustration.

The larches ( Larix ) constitute a genus of flowering plants in the family (Pinaceae ). They commonly grow in the northern jungles and in managed forests. The European larch was the Tree of the Year 2012 in Germany and the tree of the year 2002 in Austria.

  • 4.1 Literature
  • 4.2 Notes and references

Description

All larch species are deciduous trees, so throw in the late autumn of their needle-like leaves from. This makes them one of the two non- evergreen genera within the Pinaceae. The other kind is the gold larch, which is not among the larches. Are located at a short drive from 10 to 60 leaves needle or the needle leaves are individually at one-year long shoots. The bark is on young trees silver - gray to gray - brown; they will later reddish brown to brown.

The European larch (Larix decidua) reaches stature heights of about 40 meters. The largest tree of the genus is a Western Larch (Larix occidentalis), the " Seeley Lake Giant" in the Lolo National Forest in Montana, with a height of 49.4 meters, a trunk diameter ( dbh ) of 2.21 meters and 83 cubic meters root content ( in Switzerland, there is a copy with 10.70 trunk circumference, BHD 3.34m, 8.50m waist circumference ( in 3m H. ), 12m and 45m ³ basic scope root content ).

Larix species are monoecious getrenntgeschlechtig ( monoecious ), so they have male and female cones on a tree. The solitary male cones are ovoid to cylindrical, yellowish, and usually less than 1 cm. The female cones are initially green, red or purple. You need from fertilization to maturity between four and seven months, but remain even after spreading the seeds for several years on the tree. The egg-shaped to spherical cones stand upright terminally on short shoots or on a short, curved, leafy stem on the branch. At maturity they are light to dark brown. The seed scales are usually slightly wider than long. The bracts are smooth and thin. The small seeds are whitish and 4 to 6 mm in size with 6-9 mm large wings.

The seedlings have four to eight cotyledons ( cotyledons ).

System

Depending on the author 10-20 Larix species can be distinguished. There are particular different views on many often listed under Larix gmelinii subspecies.

Previously, the bracts length of the pins was frequently used to classify the genre of the larches into two sections ( section Larix with short section Multiserialis with long bracts ). Recent genetic analyzes, however, do not prove this. Rather, they point to a genetic separation between the Eurasian and the American species; therefore the size of cones and bracts is only to be regarded as an adaptation to climatic environmental conditions.

  • European larch (Larix decidua Mill ) Common European larch (Larix decidua Mill var decidua)
  • Polish larch (Larix decidua var polonica ( Racib. ex Woycicki ) Ostenf. & Syrach )
  • Larix gmelinii ( Rupr. ) Kuzen. gmelinii var
  • Kuril larch (Larix gmelinii var japonica ( usually ) pilgrims)
  • Prince Rupprecht larch (Larix gmelinii var principis - rupprechtii ( Mayr ) pilgrims)
  • Olga Bay larch (Larix gmelinii var olgensis (A. Henry) East Field & Syrach ) ( Syn: Larix olgensis A. Henry)
  • Larix griffithii var griffithii
  • Larix griffithii var speciosa (WC Cheng & YW Law ) Farjon, synonym Larix speciosa WC Cheng & Y.W. Law, native to China in the mountains at altitudes 2600-4000 meters in the provinces: in the southeastern Xizang and northwestern Yunnan.
  • Larix potaninii var australis A.Henry Hand. ex - Mazz. ( Syn: Larix potaninii macrocarpa var Y.W.Law )
  • Chinese larch (Larix chinensis var potaninii LKFu & Nan Li, Syn: Larix chinensis Beissner, not Miller: Unlike Larix potaninii ) var potaninii she has yellow long shoots and red, pointed bracts. It occurs only in the southern part of Shaanxi.
  • Himalayan Larch ( Larix potaninii var himalaica (WC Cheng & LK Fu ) Farjon & Silba synonym Larix himalaica WCCheng & LKFu )
  • Larix potaninii Batalin var potaninii
  • Tamarack (Larix laricina ( Duroi ) K.Koch )
  • Subalpine Larch ( Larix lyallii Parlatore )
  • Western Larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt. )

Hybrids

The following intersections of larch species are known:

  • Bavarian hybrid larch (Larix x eurokurilensis Rohmeder & Dimpflm; . L. decidua x L. gmelinii )
  • Scottish hybrid larch (Larix x eurolepis A. Henry; L. decidua x L. kaempferi )
  • Swiss hybrid larch (Larix x marschlinsii Coaz; L. decidua x L. sibirica )
  • Hanging larch (Larix x pendula ( Sol. ) Salisb; . L. decidua x L. laricina )

Use

→ Main article: larch

Larch wood is mainly used as construction and furniture wood, much less it serves as firewood. Of economic interest, especially the European larch, Siberian larch in Eurasia and North America are the Ostamerikanische and Western Larch. In addition, with smaller or regional significance other species, including the coming of the Japanese island of Honshu Japanese larch, which is partly cultivated in Europe, as well as bred from the European and Japanese Larch Hybrid Larch ( Larix eurolepis ).

Larch wood is among the European Nadelnutzhölzern is the heaviest and hardest wood and is only surpassed by the rarely used yew. It is mainly used as a timber for roof structures, wall and ceiling construction, interior finishing, for almost all wood uses, including stairs, railings, siding, doors, parquet and plank floors and outdoors for front doors, garage doors, windows, facade cladding, frames and sills as well as used for large-area panels. There are also many special applications due to the special properties of larch wood in the ground, water and bridge construction, boat building and for numerous other applications.

The energetic use of larch wood plays a relatively minor role. Larch wood has a calorific value of 4.4 kWh / kg or 1,700 KWh / rm and is thus comparable with pine and Douglas fir. It is, like most types of wood, especially in the private house fire in the form of logs used. As pellets are industrial waste ( wood chips ) and others also available from the larch wood production in the form of mixed pellets.

Swell

  • Michael P. Frankis: Generic Inter- Relationships in Pinaceae. In: Notes of the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh. 45, No. 3, 1988, pp. 527-548 (online, accessed 6 November 2011 ).
  • Christopher J. Earle: Larix. In: The Gymnosperm Database. May 27, 2011, accessed 6 November 2011 (English).
Pinophyta Philip Miller Joseph Dalton Hooker Larix mastersiana Carl Friedrich von Ledebour Heat of combustion Stere Beech Tilia Fraxinus
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