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Larix occidentalis
Also called Western Tamarack, Hackmatack, Montana Larch, Mountain Larch
The western larch (Larix occidentalis) is a species of larch native to the mountains of western North America (Pacific Northwest, Inland Northwest); in Canada in southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta, and in the United States in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, northern Idaho, and western Montana. It is the most productive of the three species of larch native to North America.
Western larch grows almost exclusively in the drainage of the Columbia River, from the east of the Cascade Range to the west of the Continental Divide. It covers the regions from around Kamloops, British Columbia, to Weiser, Idaho, and Central Oregon. It appears on ranges including the Blue Mountains and others in southeast BC and northwest Montana, usually on moist slopes up to 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above sea level. It can grow from elevations between 500 and 2,400 m (1,600 and 7,900 ft) and is very cold tolerant, able to survive winter temperatures down to about −50 °C (−58 °F). It only grows on well-drained soils, unable to thrive on waterlogged ground.
Indigenous peoples applied the resinous gum to injuries and chewed it to treat sore throat. Some also ate the cambium and sap; the Kutenai and Bitterroot Salish of Montana in particular collected the sap. A medicinal tea was made from the bark or foliage.
European Larch · Larix gmelinii var. principis-rupprechtii · Dahurian Larch · Sikkim Larch · Langtang Larch · Japanese Larch · Eastern Larch · Subalpine Larch · Masters's Larch · Larix gmelinii var. olgensis · Chinese Larch · Siberian Larch
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Western larch by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
