Western Larch
Larix occidentalis
A deciduous conifer that turns whole mountainsides gold before dropping its soft needles each fall. Thick-barked and remarkably fire-resistant, a giant of the inland Northwest forests. A gum beneath the bark sweetens into syrup or serves as a chewing gum; the sap has also been concentrated into a sweet syrup.
- Family
- Pinaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 200–200 ft
- Spacing
- 15–30 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- March, April, May
- Bloom colors
- red
- Wildlife value
- songbirds, mammals
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~121 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- specimen
- Native states
- ID, MT, OR, WA