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Home > Larch > Tamarack

Tamarack

Tamarack is a boreal larch tree belonging to the pine family. The medium to large tree has a beautiful coloration especially during the fall, when the foliage are about to shed.

Tamarack Tree

Scientific Classification

KingdomPlantae
DivisionPinophyta
ClassPinopsida
OrderPinales
FamilyPinaceae
GenusLarix
Scientific NameLarix laricina

Tamarack Tree Pictures

Tamarack Tree Photos

Tamarack Tree Seeds

Tamarack Tree Bark

Quick Information

Also Known asEastern larch, red larch, hackmatack, black larch, American larch
Tree TypeConiferous and deciduous
IdentificationSize: 33-66 ft in height (10-20 m)

Trunk Diameter: 2 ft (0.6 cm)

Needles: 1-1.1 in (2-3 cm) sea-green in color

Bark: Pink, sometimes looks reddish

Cones: 0.39- 0.098 in (1-2.5 cm) bright red in general and turns to brown while releasing the seeds

DistributionCanada, northwestern U.S.A
HabitatConifer forest, Tundra
Hardiness Zone2-5
Growth RateFast
Lifespan200-300 years
Growing ConditionsSun: Full exposure

Water: Plenty of water (constant)

Soil: moist organic soil (sphagnum), wet, swamps, coarse sand, heavy clay and calcareous soils

Drought TolerantNo
Diseases & PestsDiseases: Larch canker caused by Lachnellula willkommii fungus

Pest: Sawfly, larch looper, Japanese beetle, tussock moth, woolly aphids and larch case-bearer

Reproductive SystemMonoecious
PropagationFrom cuttings
Seedling DevelopmentGerminates well under the direct sunlight
Companion PlantsLabrador Tea, false Solomon’s-seal, sedges, and red twig dogwood
Wildlife ValueThe seeds are food to red squirrels, while seedlings are common treat for snowshoe hares, the inner bark of the tree is fed by porcupines. Birds like song sparrow, white-throated sparrow, common yellowthroat, Nashville warbler, and veery use the tree for nesting
UsesThe wood is used for making snowhorse and other sturdy things like knee of a wooden boat, fuelwood, poles, posts, and pulpwood
IUCN Conservation StatusLeast Concern

Tamarack Tree Cones

Tamarack Tree Leaves

Interesting Facts

  • The name of the tree is an Algonquian (a Native American language group) term means the wood used for snowshoes.
  • Although it grows well in the full exposure of light, the tree has a tremendous power to withstand cold temperatures down to -85°F.
  • The indigenous people of north Canada used the inner bark of the tree to heal hemorrhoids, frostbite, wounds, and cuts. The roots and outer bar were also used with a mixture of other tree parts as a remedy of pain, aches, and arthritis.

Dwarf Tamarack Tree

Tamarack Tree Needles

References:

  1. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/larch/tamarack-tree-information.htm
  2. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d883
  3. https://www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/documnts/usda/amwood/268tamar.pdf
  4. http://www.adirondackvic.org/Trees-of-the-Adirondacks-Tamarack-Larix-laricina.html

Published on December 11th 2018 by Sahana Kanjilal under Larch.
Article was last reviewed on 9th May 2023.

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