Pseudolarix amabilis
Common name: 
Golden Larch
Pronunciation: 
soo-do-LAR-iks a-MABa-lis
Family: 
Pinaceae
Genus: 
Pseudolarix
Synonyms: 
Pseudolarix kaempferi
Type: 
Conifer
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Deciduous conifer, tree, slow growing, 30-50(120) ft [9-15(41) m] tall, spread of 20-40 ft (6-12 m), crown broadly conical, branches horizontally whorled.  Needles linear, soft, 3-7 cm long and 2-3 mm wide, keeled below with two distinct stomatal bands, they are arranged spirally, widely spaced on long shoots, and in a dense whorl on the short (spur) shoots, light green, orange-yellow in fall.  Cones solitary, at first bluish with a waxy coating, later ovate (artichoke-shaped), 5-7 cm long and 4-5 cm wide, ripen to a golden-brown and disintegrate in fall to release the seeds; ripening the first year.
  • Sun
  • Hardy to USDA Zone (4)5   Native to eastern China, in small areas in the mountains of southern Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei and eastern Sichuan, at altitudes of 100-1500 m.
  • amabilis: lovely
  • Silverton, Oregon: The Oregon Garden
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit, young trees

    plant habit, young trees

  • branches

    branches

  • needles

    needles

  • needle clusters

    needle clusters

  • foliage and cones, early fall

    foliage and cones, early fall

  • plant habit, fall

    plant habit, fall

  • needle clusters, fall

    needle clusters, fall

  • needles, fall

  • plant habit and trunk, bark

    plant habit and trunk, bark

  • plant habit and twig, spring

    plant habit and twig, spring