Chapter XV: The Larch

Family Pinaceæ

The larch is the only native Northern genus of the pine family which loses its leaves in winter; all the other native genera are evergreens. There is one indigenous species, and one from Europe which is cultivated even more commonly than the American tree.

[Sidenote: American Larch; Tamarack or Hackmatack

_Larix americana_]

_A large tree, 50 to 100 feet high. The bark is rough with small, flat scales. The stems are pliable, and are covered with knobby buds. The cones are small, not more than half an inch long._

In Massachusetts the larch does not attain a great height, but in cold Northern swamps it grows to be a large tree. It is not dependent on a wet situation, but grows well after being transplanted into upland soil. Its growth is rapid, and it is often chosen for “quick effects” in landscape gardening,—a choice which is to be regretted for the most part, as few trees have so little beauty as the larch.

During a brief interval in the early spring, when the first young leaves fringe the branches in delicate green, this tree is really lovely, but after that there is little to attract us in its stiff, formal outline and dark foliage, and in winter it is most unprepossessing.

The wood is heavy, hard, strong, and very durable. It is used for the knees of vessels and ship timbers, for posts, telegraph poles, and railway ties.

The generic name, _Larix_, comes from the Celtic word _lar_, meaning fat, and was given to this genus on account of the resin produced by the tree. The larch is found throughout the Northeastern States.

[Sidenote: European Larch

_Larix europæa_]

_A large tree, 80 to 100 feet high. The branches are more pendulous, and the cones are twice as large as those of our native species._

The cones of both the American and European larches hang on the branches through the winter, and as those of the European are an inch or more long and about as broad, while those of the American are half that size, the trees are easily distinguished from each other. Even in the accompanying photographs this difference is discernible.

_Larix europæa_

Page 188 ]

At one time in England the plan of introducing the larch into the forests bordering the English lakes was under consideration, and this greatly disturbed the poet Wordsworth, who was keenly alive to the distressing effects of inharmonious and inappropriate tree planting. In “A Description of the Scenery of the Lakes,” he points out the fact that it is impossible for trees which terminate in a spike, like that of the larch, to blend together and form masses of wood; that if thousands to tens of thousands are added, the appearance is still the same, a collection of separate individual trees, obstinately presenting themselves as such, and which, from whatever point they are looked at, if but seen may be counted upon the fingers. He goes on to express his dislike of the larch in the following words “As a tree it is less than any other pleasing; its branches (for boughs it has none) have no variety in the youth of this tree, and little dignity even when it attains its full growth; leaves it cannot be said to have, consequently it affords neither shade nor shelter. In spring the larch becomes green long before the native trees, and its green is so peculiar and vivid that, finding nothing to harmonize with it, wherever it comes forth a disagreeable speck is produced. In summer, when all other trees are in their pride, it is of a dingy, lifeless hue; in autumn of a spiritless, unvaried yellow, and in winter it is still more lamentably distinguished from every other deciduous tree of the forest, for they seem only to sleep, but the larch appears absolutely dead.”

Many old stories are in existence concerning the durability and incombustibility of the wood of this tree. It is said that Julius Cæsar wished to set fire to a wooden tower before the gates of a castle, in the Alps, which he was besieging; that he heaped up logs of larch wood around it, but was utterly unable to make them burn,—“_robusta larix igni impenetrabile lignum_.” Evelyn, one of the first English writers on trees, gives an account of a ship made of larch wood and cypress which was found in the Numidian Sea, twelve fathoms under water, and which, though it had lain fourteen hundred years submerged, was yet quite hard and sound.

Exaggerated as these accounts may seem, the fact remains that the wood is extremely valuable, and what the larch lacks in grace and beauty as an ornamental tree it makes up in its merits as a useful one. Thus even among trees there is a just law of compensation.

INDEX

INDEX

Acacia, rose, 131

_Acer_, 21
_dasycarpum_, 26
_negundo_, 28, 29
_pennsylvanicum_, 27, 28
_platanoides_, 29, 30
_pseudo-platanus_, 30, 31
_rubrum_, 23, 25
_saccharinum_, 25, 26
_saccharum_, 22, 23, 26
_spicatum_, 28

_Aceracæ_, 21

_Æsculus glabra_, 17
_hippocastanum_, 15, 17

Ailanthus, 160
_glandulosa_, 160, 161

_Amelanchier_, 174
_canadensis_, 173

Angelica tree, 162

Apple tree, 167

_Aralia spinosa_, 162, 163

_Araliaceæ_, 153, 162

Ash, American, 36
black, 38
buds, color of, 40
downy, 37
European, 39
excrescences on the, 36
green, 36
red, 37
seeds, 41
white, 36

Ashes, 9, 35, 41

Aspen, 179
American, 179
large-toothed, 181

Balm of Gilead, 182

Bark, 6, 7
color of, 7
taste of, 7

Basswood, 141
small leaved, 141
white, 141

Beech, 7, 77
American, 77
blue, 72
European, 79
purple, 80

_Betula_, 61
_alba_, 68
_lenta_, 63, 64
_lutea_, 64, 66
_nigra_, 66
_papyrifera_, 60, 61
_populifolia_, 62, 63
_pumila_, 68

_Betulaceæ_, 59

Bigelow, 158

_Bignoniaceæ_, 153, 158

Birch, 59
American, 62
beer, 64
black, 63
canoe, 7, 60
dwarf, 68
European white, 68
gray, 62
paper, 60
red, 66
river, 66
sweet, 63
white, 60, 62

Birch, yellow, 64

Birches, 59

Bosc, 169

Boutcher, 80

Box elder, 28

Branches, 6, 7, 10

Bryant, quoted, 119

Buckeye, Ohio, 17

Buckeyes, 15

Buds, 6, 10, 11
accessory, 11
adventitious, 11
axillary, 6, 10
collateral, 11
flower, 11
flowers in the, 10
latent, 11
lateral, 6, 10
scales of, 9
superposed, 11
terminal, 6, 10
winter, 11

Bundle-scars, 10

Butternut, 11, 45
sugar from sap of, 47

Buttonwood, 117

Cambium layer, 5, 6

_Carpinus_, 73
_caroliniana_, 72, 74

_Castanea_, 82
_dentata_, 81, 83

Catalpa, hardy, 158
_speciosa_, 158, 160

_Celtis_, 101
_occidentalis_, 112, 113

_Cercis canadensis_, 136

Cherry, black, 7, 171
bird, 172
choke, 172
pin, 172
red, 172
sweet, 172

Chestnut, 77, 81
Spanish, 82

_Cladrastis_, 134
_lutea_, 134

Cook, 80

Cork tree, 89

_Cornaceæ_, 120

Cornel, flowering, 121

_Cornus_, 122
_florida_, 121, 122

Cottonwood, 183
swamp, 184

Cucumber tree, 155

Dogwood, 120
flowering, 121
poison, 121

Du Hamel, quoted, 143

Elm, 101
American, 5, 10, 101, 102
cork, 7, 107, 144
Dutch, 111
English, 101, 108
feathered, 11, 103
Lancaster, 103
red, 105
rock, 107
Scotch, 111
slippery, 7, 105
Thomas’s, 107
white, 102
wych, 111

Elms, 101

Emerson, quoted, 37, 39, 87, 91, 94, 108, 119, 183

Evelyn, quoted, 41, 80, 190

_Fagaceæ_, 77

_Fagus_, 79
_americana_, 77

_Fagus sylvatica_, 78, 80

_Fraxinus_, 35
_americana_, 36
_excelsior_, 39
_nigra_, 38
_pennsylvanica_, 37

Fruit, 8

Gerard, quoted, 70, 111, 180

_Gleditsia_, 133
_triacanthos_, 132, 133

Gilpin, 80, 119

Gray, quoted, 47, 119

Growth, 6, 9, 10
annual rings of, 6

_Gymnocladus dioicus_, 135

Hackberry, 101, 112

Hackmatack, 187

_Hamamelidaceæ_, 141

_Hamamelis_, 144, 146

Hamerton, quoted, 69

Heartwood, 5, 6

Hercules’ club, 162

Hickories, 9, 45

Hickory, bitternut, 53
mockernut, 7, 51
pignut, 54
shagbark, 7, 49
shellbark, 49
white-heart, 51

_Hicoria_, 45, 51
_alba_, 51
_glabra_, 54, 56
_minima_, 53, 54
_ovata_, 49

_Hippocastanaceæ_, 15

Holmes, quoted, 109, 118

Homer, quoted, 180

Hop hornbeam, 8, 71

Hornbeam, 7, 72

Horsechestnut, 8, 9, 15, 41, 143

Horsechestnut buds, 15, 16
flowers, 16
leaf-scars, 15
twigs, 15

Indian bean, 158

Internodes, 9

Ironwood, 71

Jekyll, quoted, 69

Judas tree, 136

_Juglandaceæ_, 45

_Juglans_, 45, 47
_cinerea_, 45
_nigra_, 48
_regia_, 49

Juneberry, 173

Kentucky coffee tree, 129, 135, 160, 161

Knight, 169

_Laburnum vulgare_, 136

Larch, 187
American, 187
European, 188

_Larix_, 188
_americana_, 187
_europæa_, 188

_Lauraceæ_, 141, 147

Leaf-scars, 9, 10

_Leguminosæ_, 129

Lenticels, 8, 16

Lime trees, 143

Linden, 141
common, 141
European, 141, 143

Linnæus, 28, 67, 143, 145, 146

_Liquidambar_, 144, 145
_styraciflua_, 144, 146

Liquidamber, 7, 144

_Liriodendron_, 153, 157
_tulipifera_, 155

Locust, clammy, 131
common, 129
honey, 132

Loudon, 31, 111, 124, 148

Lowell, quoted, 24

Lubbock, quoted, 156

_Magnolia acuminata_, 155
_glauca_, 153, 154
swamp, 153
_tripetala_, 154, 155

_Magnoliaceæ_, 153, 157

Maple, 21
ash-leaved, 28
bird’s eye, 23
curled, 25
moosewood, 27
mountain, 7, 28
Norway, 29
red, 10, 11, 23
rock, 22
silver, 25
striped, 7, 27
sugar, 7, 22
swamp, 23
sycamore, 30
white, 25

Maples, 9, 21, 41

Maple sugar, 22, 23

Mathews, 80

Medullary rays, 6

Michaux, 55, 79, 88, 145

Milton, quoted, 109

_Moracæ_, 122

_Morus_, 123
_alba_, 123, 124
_rubra_, 123

Mountain ash, 170

Mulberry, red, 123
white, 122, 124

Nettle tree, 112

Nodes, 9

_Nyssa_, 120
_sylvatica_, 120

Oak apples, 93
bear, 97
black, 92
bur, 88
chestnut, 89
chinquapin, 90
dwarf chestnut, 90
mossy-cup, 88, 144
overcup, 88
pin, 96
post, 91
red, 93
rock chestnut, 89
rough, 91
scarlet, 95
scrub, 97
swamp white, 86
white, 85

Oaks, 9, 77, 83, 84

_Oleaceæ_, 35

_Ostrya_, 72
_virginiana_, 71, 72

Ovid, quoted, 110

Pallas, quoted, 182

Peach tree, 172
buds of, 173

Pear tree, 169

Pepperidge, 120

Phyllotaxy, 81, 82

_Pinaceæ_, 187

Pith, 6, 8
color, 8
form, 8
rays, 6

Plane tree, 117

_Platanaceæ_, 117

_Platanus_, 119
_occidentalis_, 117, 119
_orientalis_, 119

Plum, 172

Poplar, balm of Gilead, 182
balsam, 182
Carolina, 183
cottonwood, 183
Lombardy, 184
necklace, 183
swamp cottonwood, 184
white, 184

_Populus_, 177, 181
_balsamifera_, 182
_deltoides_, 183, 184
_grandidentata_, 181, 182
_heterophylla_, 184
_tremuloides_, 179, 181

_Prunus_, 172
_avium_, 172
_domestica_, 172
_pennsylvanica_, 172
_persica_, 172
_serotina_, 171, 172
_virginiana_, 172

_Pyrus_, 168
_americana_, 170, 171
_communis_, 169
_malus_, 167
_sambucifolia_, 171

_Quercus_, 83, 85
_alba_, 85
_coccinea_, 95, 96
_macrocarpa_, 88, 89
_minor_, 91, 92
_palustris_, 96, 97
_platanoides_, 86, 88
_prinus_, 89
_prinoides_, 90, 91
_pumila_, 97
_rubra_, 93, 95
_velutina_, 92, 93

Redbud, 136

_Robinia_, 130
_hispida_, 131
_pseud-acacia_, 129, 130
_viscosa_, 131

_Rosaceæ_, 167

Rowan tree, 170

_Salicaceæ_, 177

_Salix alba_, 177
_babylonica_, 178
_nigra_, 179

Sapwood, 5

Sargent, quoted, 104, 107, 124, 135, 145

Sassafras, 7, 141, 147

_Sassafras sassafras_, 147, 149

Scars, 9
fruit, 9
leaf, 9
stipule, 9

Service berry, 173

Scott, quoted, 69, 180

Shad bush, 173

Shenstone, quoted, 70

Silkworms, 124, 125

_Simaroubaceæ_, 153, 159

Sour gum tree, 120

Spenser, quoted, 180

Stems, 8, 9

Stipules, 9

Sugar berry, 112

Sumac poison, 121

Sweet bay, 153

Sweet gum, 144

Sycamore, 117

Tamarack, 187

Tennyson, quoted, 40, 41

Thoreau, 24
quoted, 65, 148

Thorns, 8

_Tilia americana_, 141

_Tiliaceæ_, 141

Tree of heaven, 160

Trees, 3, 4
age of, 6, 8, 9
dool, 31

Trunk, tree, 5
deliquescent, 5
dicotyledonous, 5
excurrent, 5

Tulip tree, 153, 155

Tupelo, 7, 120

Twigs, 8

_Ulmaceæ_, 101

Umbrella tree, 154

_Ulmus_, 101, 105
_americana_, 102
_campestris_, 108, 110, 112

_Ulmus montana_, 111, 112
_pubescens_, 105, 106
_racemosa_, 107, 108

Vascular bundles, 10

Virgil, quoted, 110

Virgilia, 135

Walnut, black, 48
English, 49

Walnuts, 8, 9, 45

Willow, black, 179
“pussy,” 178
weeping, 7, 178
white, 177

Witch-hazel, 146

Wood, 5, 6
silver grain of, 6

Wordsworth, quoted, 189

Yellowwood, 129, 134

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Transcriber’s Notes

pg 106 Changed: used for imflammatory diseases
to: used for inflammatory diseases

pg 179 Changed: the only one anong our native willows
to: the only one among our native willows