Japanese Larch Larix kaempferi

Japanese Larch is a large, deciduous conifer in the pine family, native to Japan. At maturity, it will reach a height of 90 feet or more with a spread of up to 40 feet. The soft, bright green needles turn yellow in fall before falling to the ground in winter. It has a broad, conical crown and slender, pendulous branches and the gray bark peels off in long strips. The seed cones are colorful in season starting out violet, maturing orange-brown tinged with purple, and finally gray-brown. The genus name is the classical name for larch trees. The species name honors Engelbert Kaempfer, a German botanist and plant collector who visited Japan in the late 1600s.

Japanese Larch does best sited in full sun and rich, acidic, well-drained soil with consistent moisture and protection from wind. A site that mimics its native environment, cool summers and cold winters, is best. It typically does not perform in an area of hot and humid summers. The tree will tolerate some light shade, but does not do well in full shade, dry soils, or with exposure to urban pollution. It is easy to transplant.

When planted from seed, it is slow growing for the first two or three years, but a rapid grower after that. Japanese Larch is considered the most ornamental of the larches and it is used as a forestry tree in Japan and Europe and is noted for its long life span. Japanese Larch is distinct in the reddish-brown color of the ripened shoots, the broader grey-green leaves, and the colorful cones with spreading scales. 

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: 

Potential pests include larch case-bearer, larch sawfly, larch looper, tussock moth, Japanese beetle and woolly aphids. Diseases include needle cast, needle rust and canker. See the "Pests of Conifers" factsheet to the left.