Golden Larch
Pseudolarix kaempferi
Family Pinaceae

Characteristics:
* Leaves narrow, soft, radiating in loose clusters from spur-like branchlets, 1 1/2-2 1/2" long. Light green, turning golden yellow-orange in autumn.
* Bark grayish to reddish brown, ridged and furrowed.
* Cones oval, erect on branches, greenish purple turning golden brown in autumn, bloomy.
* Height: 30-50'.

Natural History:
* Habitat: Cultivated in the United States.
* Range: Wherever planted.
* Native to China.

Connections!
* The golden larch was introduced from eastern China, where it grows at altitudes of 3000 - 4000 feet, in 1854.

* The autumn foliage of the golden larch is spectacular but very short-lived; it usually lasts less than two weeks before the leaves start to drop. Yes, they drop! Even though the tree is a conifer in the pine family, its leaves are deciduous and fall in autumn.