''Larix lyallii'', the subalpine larch, or simply alpine larch, is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

ous tree native to northwestern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. It lives at high altitudes, from , in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, and

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. There is a disjunct population in the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. Subalpine larch is hardy and can survive at low temperatures and on thin rocky soils, often being found near the

tree line The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...

. It can grow in a variety of soils as long as the soil is moist but well drained. However, it is relatively shade intolerant.

David Lyall David Lyall (1817–1895) MD, RN, FLS, was a Scottish botanist who explored Antarctica, New Zealand, the Arctic and North America and was a lifelong friend of Sir Joseph Hooker. He was born in Auchenblae, Kincardineshire, Scotland on 1 June 181 ...

seems to have discovered the species between 1858 and 1861.

John Bernhard Leiberg John Bernhard Leiberg (7 October 1853 – 28 October 1913) was a Swedish-American botanical explorer, forester, and bryology, bryologist. He was a self-taught naturalist who worked in the northwestern United States. Biography Leiberg was born in ...

described it in 1900.

Description

''Larix lyallii'' is a small tree, growing from tall and shorter at higher elevations. It has a straight trunk with a sparse and somewhat conical crown. The branches are horizontal, perpendicular to the trunk, irregularly spaced and twisted. The twigs are finely hairy. The needles are four-angled, long and crowded in groups of 30 to 40 on short spurs. They are pale blue-green and deciduous, turning golden yellow in autumn. The seed cones, long, are red-purple when young but become dark brown with age. They have thin scales and narrow bracts that extend over the scales. The pollen and seed cones become active in early summer. The bark is about 2.5 cm thin and turns from yellow-gray to dark red-brown with age. It also becomes deeply furrowed into small, scaly plates. The tree is also one of the longest-lived tree species. There is record of a specimen in Kananaskis, Alberta, which has been understood to be about 2,000 years old, the oldest tree in Canada.

Uses

The bark contains

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', ...

and the wood is strong, heavy, and durable.

References

External links

Gymnosperm Database: ''Larix lyallii''

Virginia Tech Dendrology: ''Larix lyallii''

Treelib.ca: ''Larix lyalii''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1404234 lyallii Least concern flora of the United States Trees of Alberta Trees of British Columbia Trees of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Rocky Mountains Deciduous conifers Trees of North America Trees of the United States Trees of Canada Trees of Western Canada