Western larch (Larix occidentalis)
- Needles: Deciduous, turning golden in the fall; clusters on short woody spurs. 1-1.5 inches long. Light green, fine tipped, and soft.
- Bark: When young, reddish-brown and smooth. On mature trees, scaly brown and deeply furrowed, broken into irregular scaly plates.
- Cones: inches long, Arranged around the stem at various angles
- Form; Large tree with a narrow pyramid-shaped crown.
- Unique identifier to separate it from alpine larch: No woolly cluster of hairs at base of new growth on branch; cones growing out of all sides of branch. Typically found at elevations below 5000’ in Cascade eastside. Cones extend out in all directions from branch.
Left: Ponderosa pine
Right: Western larch