European larch (Larch decidua)

Appearance: A coniferous tree shedding its leaves for the winter, with a height of approx 40 m, quite slim, conical crown, regularly and quite densely branched.

Older branches hanging down and rising again at the ends, average usually outliers, and only at the top of the crown, it is raised obliquely. The bark is initially smooth and gray-brown to green-brown, later rather pink-brown and peeled off, with deep cracks. The shoots are straw-colored, naked and only in some places furrowed.

Soft pins, length 2-3 cm, in bunches after 20-40 (on shoots) or growing singly and quite densely (on long shoots), blunt or only slightly sharpened, light green, with two lighter longitudinal stripes on the underside.

The female cones are initially carmine red, dark brown when ripe, size 2-3 cm, conical-ovate. Branches and smaller twigs grow densely, usually remaining on the tree for many years. Roundish cone scales, loosely fitting (at least not clearly curled outwards or bent upwards), decorated with a delicate, striped pattern,

Habitat: Widespread species, it forms tree stands in places – on fresh and alkaline-rich soils, in regions with a continental climate with warm and dry summers.

Occurrence: Originally only in the Central Alps and the eastern Sudetes, in the Tatra Mountains and the Polish Lowlands, Thanks to forest cultivation, today it is widespread and almost everywhere.

Flowering period: From March to April General remarks: Larch is the only national pinewood, which drops her pins in the fall. Before that, they change their color to an intense yellow color. Larchs grow very badly in big cities, because they cannot withstand gaseous pollutants.