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LARCH (from the Ger. Larche, M.H.G. L...
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See also:LARCH (from the Ger. Larche, M.H.G. Lerche, See also:Lat. larix)
, a name applied to a small See also:group of coniferous trees, of which the See also:common See also:larch of See also:Europe is taken. as the type
.
The members of the genus Larix are distinguished from the firs, with which they were formerly placed, by their See also:deciduous leaves, scattered singly, as in Abies, on the See also:young shoots of the See also:season, but on all older branchlets growing in whorl-like tufts, each surrounding the extremity of a rudimentary or abortive See also:branch; they differ from cedars (Cedrus), which also have the fascicles of leaves on arrested branchlets, not only in the deciduous leaves, but in the cones, the scales of which are thinner towards the See also:apex, and are persistent, remaining attached See also:long after the seeds are discharged
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The trees of the genus are closely allied in botanic features, as well as in See also:general See also:appearance, so that it is sometimes difficult to assign to them determinate specific characters, and the limit between See also:species and variety is not always very accurately defined
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Nearly all are natives of Europe, or the See also:northern plains and See also:mountain ranges of See also:Asia and See also:North See also:America, though one (Larix Griffithii) occurs only on the Himalayas
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The common larch (L. europaea) is, when grown in perfection, a stately See also:tree with tall erect See also:trunk, gradually tapering from See also:root to See also:summit, and See also:horizontal branches springing at irregular intervals from the See also:stem, and in old trees often becoming more or less drooping, but rising again towards the extremities; the branchlets or See also:side shoots, very slender and pendulous, are See also:pretty thickly studded with the spurs each bearing a fascicle of See also:thirty or more narrow linear leaves, of a See also:peculiar See also:bright See also:light See also:green when they first appear in the See also:spring, but becoming of a deeper See also:hue when mature
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The yellow stamen-bearing See also:flowers are in sessile, nearly spherical catkins; the fertile ones vary in See also:colour, from red or See also:purple to greenish-See also:
It is much employed for See also:house-See also:building; most of the picturesque See also:log-houses in See also:Vaud and the adjacent cantons are built of squared larch trunks, and derive their See also:fine brown tint from the hardened See also:resin that slowly exudes from the See also:wood after long exposure to the summer See also:sun; the wooden shingles, that in See also:Switzerland See also:supply the See also:place of tiles, are also frequently of larch
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In See also:Germany it is much used by the See also:
On the See also:French See also:Alps a sweet exudation is found on the small branchlets of young larches in See also:June and See also:July, resembling See also:manna in See also:taste and laxative properties, and known as Manna de See also:Briancon or Manna Brigantina; it occurs in small whitish irregular granular masses, which are removed in the See also:morning before they are too much dried by the sun; this manna seems to differ little
See also:composition from the sap of the tree, which also contains marmite; its cathartic See also:powers are weaker than those of the manna of the manna ash (Fraximus ornus), but it is employed in See also:France for the same purposes
.
The hark of the larch is largely used in some countries for tanning;
it is taken from the trunk only, being stripped from the trees when
felled; its value is about equal to that of See also:birch bark; but, according
to the experience of See also:British tanners, it is scarcely half as strong as
that of the See also:oak
.
The soft inner bark is occasionally used in Siberia
lighter in tint, and less hard in grain, when grown in See also:rich soils or as a ferment, by hunters and others, being boiled and mixed with
shape, with the lower branches almost reaching the ground, i while those above gradually diminish in length towards the See also:top of the trunk, presenting a very symmetrical form; but in dense woods the lower parts become See also:bare of foliage, as with the firs under similar circumstances
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When springing up among rocks or on ledges, the stem sometimes becomes much curved, and, with its spreading boughs and pendent branchlets, often forms a striking and picturesque See also:object in alpine passes and steep ravines
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In the prevalent See also:European varieties the bark is reddish-See also:grey, and rather rough and scarred in old trees, which are often much See also:lichen-covered
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The trunk attains a height of from 8o to 140 ft., with a See also:diameter of from 3 to 5 ft. near the ground, but in close woods is comparatively slender in proportion to its See also:altitude
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The larch abounds on the Alps of Switzerland, on which it flourishes at an See also:elevation of 5000 ft., and also on those of Tirol and Savoy, on the Carpathians, and in most of the See also: The Siberian larch has smooth grey bark and smaller cones, approaching in shape somewhat to those of the See also:American hackmatack; it seems even hardier than the Alpine tree, growing up to See also:latitude 68°, but, as the inclement See also:climate of the polar shores is neared, dwindling down to a See also:dwarf and even trailing See also:bush . The larch, from its lofty straight trunk and the high quality of its wood, is one of the most important of coniferous trees; its growth is extremely rapid, the stem attaining a large See also:size in from sixty to eighty years, while the tree yields good useful timber at forty or fifty; it forms firm heartwood at an early See also:age, and the sapwood is less perishable than that of the firs, rendering it more valuable in the young state . The wood of large trees is compact in texture, in the best varieties of a deep reddish colour varying to brownish-yellow, but See also:apt to be See also:rye-See also:meal, and buried in the See also:snow for a See also:short time, when it is employed as a substitute for other See also:leaven, and in making the sour liquor called " quass." In Germany a fungus (Polyporus Laricis) grows on the roots and stems of decaying larches, which was formerly in esteem as a drastic purgative . The young shoots of the larch are sometimes given in Switzerland as See also:fodder to See also:cattle . The larch, though mentioned by See also:Parkinson in 1629 as "nursed up"by a few"lovers of variety" as a rare See also:exotic, does not seem to have been much grown in See also:England till early in the 18th See also:century . In See also:Scotland the date of its introduction is a disputed point, but it seems to have been planted at See also:Dunkeld by the 2nd See also:duke of Athole in 1727, and about thirteen or fourteen years later considerable plantations were made at that place, the commencement of one of the largest planting experiments on See also:record; it is estimated that 14 million larches were planted on the Athole estates between that date and 1826 . The cultivation of the tree rapidly spread, and the larch has become a conspicuous feature of the scenery in many parts of Scotland . It grows as rapidly and attains as large a size in British habitats suited to it as in its See also:home on the Alps, and often produces equally good timber . The larch of Europe is essentially a mountain tree, and requires not only free See also:air above, but a certain moderate amount of moisture in the See also:soil beneath, with, at the same time, perfect drainage, to bring the timber to perfection . Where there is See also:complete freedom from stagnant water in the ground, and abundant See also:room for the spread of its branches to light and air, the larch will flourish in a great variety of soils, stiff See also:clays, wet or mossy See also:peat, and moist See also:alluvium being the See also:chief exceptions; in its native localities it seems partial to the debris of See also:primitive and metamorphic rocks, but is occasionally found growing luxuriantly on calcareous subsoils; in Switzerland it attains the largest size, and forms the best timber, on the northern declivities of the mountains; but in Scotland a See also:southern aspect appears most favourable . The best variety for culture in See also:Britain is that with red See also:female flowers; the light-flowered kinds are said to produce inferior wood, and the Siberian larch does not grow in Scotland nearly as fast as the Alpine tree . The larch is raised from seed in immense See also:numbers in British nurseries; that obtained from Germany is preferred, being more perfectly ripened than the cones of home growth usually are . 
The seeds are sown in April, on rich ground, which should not be too highly manured; the young larches are planted out when two years old, or sometimes transferred to a nursery See also:bed to attain a larger size; but, like all conifers, they succeed best when planted young; on the mountains, the seedlings are usually put into a See also:mere slit made in the ground by a See also:spade with a triangular blade, the place being first cleared of any See also:heath, bracken, or tall herbage that might smother the young tree; the See also:plants should be from 3 to 4 ft. apart, or even more, according to the growth intended before thinning, which should be begun as soon as the boughs begin to overspread much; little or no pruning is needed beyond the careful removal of dead branches . The larch is said not to succeed on arable See also:land, especially where See also:corn has been grown, but experience does not seem to support this view; that against the previous occupation of the ground by Scotch fir or Norway spruce is probably better founded, and, where timber is the object, it should not be planted with other conifers . On the See also:Grampians and neighbouring hills the larch will flourish at a greater elevation than the pine, and will grow up to an altitude of 1700 or even 180o ft.; but it attains its full size on lower slopes . In very dry and See also:bleak localities, the Scotch fir will probably be more successful up to 900 ft. above the See also:sea, the limit of the luxuriant growth of that See also:hardy conifer in Britain; and in moist valleys or on imperfectly drained acclivities Norway spruce is more suitable . The growth of the larch while young is exceedingly rapid; in the south of England it will often attain a height of 25 ft. in the first ten years, while in favourable localities it will grow upwards of 8o ft. in half a century or less; one at Dunkeld felled sixty years after planting was See also:Ito ft. high; but usually the tree does not increase so rapidly after the first thirty of forty years . Some larches in Scotland See also:rival in size the most gigantic specimens standing in their native woods; a tree at Dalwick, See also:Peeblesshire, attained 5 ft. in diameter; one at Glenarbuck, near the See also:Clyde, See also:grew above 140 ft. high, with a circumference of 13 ft . The annual increase in girth is often considerable even in large trees; the fine larch near the See also:abbey of Dunkeld figured by See also:Strutt in his Sylva Britannica increased 21 ft. between 1796 and 1825, its measurement at the latter date being 13 ft., with a height of 971 ft . In the south of England, the larch is much planted for the supply of See also:hop-poles, though in parts of See also:Kent and See also:Sussex poles formed of Spanish See also:chestnut are regarded as still more lasting . In plantations made with this object, the seedlings are placed very close (from 11 to 2 ft. apart), and either cut down all at once, when the requiredheight is attained or thinned out, leaving the See also:remainder to gain a greater length; the land is always well trenched before planting . The best See also:month for larch planting, whether for poles or timber, is See also:November; larches are sometimes planted in the spring, but the practice cannot be commended, as the sap flows early, and, if a dry See also:period follows, the growth is sure to be checked . The thinnings of the larch woods in the See also:Highlands are in demand for railway sleepers, See also:scaffold poles, and See also:mining timber, and are applied to a variety of agricultural purposes . The tree generally 'succeeds on the Welsh hills . The young seedlings are sometimes nibbled by the See also:hare and See also:rabbit; and on parts of the highland hills both bark and shoots are eaten in the winter by the See also:roe-See also:deer; larch woods should always be fenced in to keep out the hill-cattle, which will browse upon the shoots in spring . The " woolly aphis," " American blight," or " larch blight " (Eriosoma laricis) often attacks the trees in close valleys, but rarely spreads much unless other unhealthy conditions are See also:present . The larch suffers from several diseases caused by See also:fungi; the most important is the larch-canker caused by the See also:parasitism of Peziza Willkommii . The spores germinate on a See also:damp See also:surface and enter the cortex through small cracks or wounds in the protecting layer . The fungus-mycelium will go on growing indefinitely in the cambium layer, thus killing and destroying a larger See also:area year by year . The most effective method of treatment is to cut out the diseased branch or patch as early as possible . Another disease which is sometimes confused with that caused by the Peziza is " See also:heart-rot "; it occasionally attacks larches only ten years old or less, but is more common when the trees have acquired a considerable size, sometimes spreading in a short time through a whole See also:plantation . The trees for a considerable period show little sign of unhealthiness, but eventually the stem begins to swell somewhat near the root, and the whole tree gradually goes off as the disease advances; when cut down, the trunk is found to be decayed at the centre, the " rot " usually commencing near the ground . Trees of good size are thus rendered nearly worthless, often showing little sign of unhealthiness till felled . Great difference of See also:opinion exists among foresters as to the cause of this destructive malady; but it is probably the See also:direct result of unsuitable soil, especially soil containing insufficient nourishment . Considerable quantities of larch timber are imported into Britain for use in the See also:dockyards, in addition to the large home supply . The quality varies much, as,well as the colour and See also:density; an See also:Italian See also:sample in the museum at See also:Kew (of a very dark red tint) weighs about 241 lb to the cub. ft., while a Polish specimen, of equally deep hue, is 44 lb 1 oz. to the same measurement . For the landscape gardener, the larch is a valuable aid in the formation of See also:park and See also:pleasure ground; but it is never seen to such See also:advantage as when See also:hanging over some tumbling See also:burn or rocky pass among the mountains . A variety with very pendent boughs, known as the " drooping " larch See also:var. pendula, is occasionally met with in gardens . The bark of the larch has been introduced into See also:pharmacy, being given, generally in the form of an alcoholic See also:tincture, in chronic bronchitic affections and See also:internal haemorrhages . It contains, in addition to See also:tannin, a peculiar principle called larixin, which may be obtained in a pure state by See also:distillation from a concentrated infusion of the bark; it is a colourless substance in long crystals, with a bitter and astringent taste, and a faint See also:acid reaction; hence some See also:term it larixinic acid . The European larch has long been introduced into the See also:United States, where, in suitable localities, it flourishes as luxuriantly as in Britain . Plantations have been made in America with an economic view, the tree growing much faster, and producing good timber at an earlier age than the native hackmatack (or tamarack), while the wood is less ponderous, and therefore more generally applicable . The genus is represented in the eastern parts of North America by the hackmatack (L. americana), of which there are several varieties, two so well marked that they are by some botanists considered specifically distinct . In one (L. microcarpa) the cones are very small, rarely exceeding 2 in. in length, of a roundish-oblong shape; the scales are very few in number, See also:crimson in the young state, reddish-brown when ripe; the tree much resembles the European larch in general appearance but is of more slender growth; its trunk is seldom more than 2 ft. in diameter and rarely above 8o ft. high; this form is the red larch, the epinette See also:rouge of the French Canadians . The See also:black larch (L. pendula) has rather larger cones, of an oblong shape, about ; in. long, purplish or green in the immature state, and dark brown when ripe, the scales somewhat more numerous, the bracts all shorter than the scales . The bark is dark bluish-grey, smoother than in the red larch, on the trunk and lower boughs often glossy; the branches are more or less pendulous and very slender . The red larch grows usually on higher and drier ground, ranging from the Virginian mountains to the shores of See also:Hudson See also:Bay; the black larch is found often on moist land, and even in swamps . The hackmatack is one of the most valuable timber trees of America; it is in great demand in the ports of the St See also:Lawrence for See also:shipbuilding .
It is far more durable than any of the oaks of that region, is heavy and close-grained, and much stronger, as well as more lasting, than that of the pines and firs of See also:Canada
.
In many parts all the finer trees have been cut down, but large woods of it still exist in the less accessible districts; it abounds especially near See also:Lake St See also: |
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