Mutant X - Larix decidua

Over the past 4.54 billion years, Planet Earth has been home to a cornucopia of biological evolutions from our aqueous amoebic ancestors to the current most intelligent species on Earth, the Asian Water Buffalo. Important scientists from reputed agencies and other, lesser knowledgeable scientists from many obscure corners of the globe have agreed that there has been a mutation in the botanical gene pool that defies logic, science, and other silly rule systems. This amalgamation, referenced as Mutant X, is baffling horticultural communities across the nation, giving rise to garden store revolts and peaceful occupations of national parks gift shop parking lots, between the hours of 9am and 5:30pm. Picketers have been reported carrying makeshift signs with slogans of slight confusion and mild annoyance. "Conifers aren't Deciduous!" and "My kid's Pine trees are Pine trees!" are common messages. Even our friends south of the border have been heard shouting "Mi árbol que da cono arrojar agujas cada año!" at innocent roadside plantings. Fear and panic have gripped arborists from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Prepare for the dawn of a new era; Prepare for Larix decidua - Mutant X. The European Larch Tree.


As you might imagine, the European Larch (aka Tamarack) is not native to the United States, although it has been introduced and largely naturalized throughout the country. Their particular peculiarity is that although they are a coniferous tree, they shed their needles as though they were a deciduous tree. If you can't think back to 3rd grade to remember what coniferous and deciduous are, conifer species bear cones and are gymnosperms, which means they don't make any flowers. Deciduous trees are your common leafy trees, which are angiosperms, meaning they produce flowers. So what gives? How does a conifer tree lose it's needles? Though there are a few other species of conifers that shed deciduously (Ginkgo, bald cypress, and dawn redwood) larches make up the majority of species in this rare category. And that makes them kinda freaky. We like kinda freaky.


The genus Larix is home to a multitude of species of different larches. The European Larch in question can become a rather magnificent tree over 100 feet tall, so when placing a Larch in the Garden Manscape, make sure you provide adequate room for height and width. Naturally, this conifer produces cones annually, which are one of Larix's premier showpieces. The cones are two colored, primarily red and yellow (one part male, one part female) and sit upright on the branches where the small tufts of cones protrude. These mainly fall off, but can persist through the winter. European Larch is hardy from zone 2-6 or 7, and is extremely tolerant of winter salt applications which can burn out many of the northern trees. Tamarack can also be purchased in weeping and bonsai forms, increasing its use in the garden.


Few trees are freaks, and Larix decidua is among the weirder of the weirds. Garden Manscapes should be full of specimens which bend the mind, trick the senses, and defy logic. European Larch is one of the most mystifying selections for a large-area garden, and is sure to ignite your inner freak. I mean come on, we've all got one. What's yours look like?


photo credits:
1]http://www.guzer.com/pictures/teenage-mutant-hulk.jpg
2]http://rpmedia.ask.com/ts?u=/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Alberi_AlpediSiusi.JPG/120px-Alberi_AlpediSiusi.JPG
3]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Larix-decidua_0088_S.jpg
4]http://www.purplebutterflies.com/michigan/images/tamarack.jpg