Larix gmelinii Seeds | Dahurian Larch Dahurica
LATIN NAME: Larix gmelinii
COMMON NAME: Dahurian Larch, Gmelin Larch
Plant Profile
Dahurian larch is a deciduous conifer, 20-30 m in the ground, with soft, bright green needles that turn gold in autumn and drop in November. The habit is narrow and pyramidal when young, opening with age, and the bark is grey-brown and scaly.
The tree is one of the most cold-hardy conifers in existence, surviving temperatures below -50°C in its native range, and it is the dominant species across enormous areas of eastern Siberia. In a garden it is grown as a specimen and, increasingly, as a bonsai, where its fine branching and its autumn colour are valued.
Larix gmelinii comes from Siberia, northern China and Mongolia, where it grows on permafrost and in boggy taiga. That origin explains its tolerance of wet ground and its need for cold winters, which are hard to replicate in a mild climate.
Science & Biotechnology
The deciduous habit is unusual among conifers and is an adaptation to extreme cold: dropping the needles removes the surface area through which the tree would lose water when the soil is frozen and uptake is impossible. Only a handful of conifer genera do this, and larch is the most widespread.
Larch wood is dense, resinous and rot-resistant, and it is used for railway sleepers, poles and boat building. The bark contains tannins and is used in tanning, and the resin has a long history as a wound dressing in Siberia.
The species is one of the fastest-growing conifers in a short season, putting on a metre a year in good conditions, which is why it is used in shelterbelts and in reforestation across the north. That growth rate also makes it a good bonsai subject, since a trunk can be built in a decade rather than a lifetime.
Uses & Benefits
Dahurian larch is planted for shelterbelts, for timber and for land reclamation in cold climates, and as an ornamental for its autumn colour. As a bonsai it is trained in informal upright and forest styles, and it is one of the few conifers that gives autumn colour as well as spring green.
The wood is used for construction, fencing and fuel, and the bark for tanning. In traditional Siberian medicine the resin and the young shoots are used externally. Commercially the seed is sold to forestry projects in cold regions and to bonsai growers.
Growing from Seed
Sow in spring at 15-20°C, 0.5 cm deep, after four weeks of cold stratification. Germination is fast for a conifer, two to four weeks, and the seedlings grow strongly in their first season.
Plant out in full sun in moist but well-drained soil; the tree tolerates poor drainage better than most conifers but not standing water. Water through the first two summers. For bonsai, grow the tree in a large pot or in the ground for the first three years to build a trunk, then lift and begin training. Larch responds well to hard pruning in late winter.
Our Take
A conifer for cold gardens and for growers who want autumn colour from a tree that is not a maple.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Dahurian Larch often pair it with these related subjects: