Chinese larch

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Chinese larch
Systematics
Class : Coniferopsida
Order : Conifers (Coniferales)
Family : Pine family (Pinaceae)
Subfamily : Laricoideae
Genre : Larches ( Larix )
Type : Chinese larch
Scientific name
Larix potaninii var. Chinensis
( Beissn. ) LKFu & Nan Li

The Chinese larch ( Larix potaninii var. Chinensis ) is a variety of Larix potaninii from the pine family (Pinaceae), which is endemic to central China . It is considered by some dendrologists as an independent species, Larix chinensis .

description

Habitus

The Chinese larch grows as a deciduous tree and reaches heights of up to 20 meters and diameters of up to 54 centimeters at chest height . The straight, woody trunk ends in an open and conical crown . The crown consists of easily breaking, horizontally standing branches. It grows as a shrub in locations that are heavily exposed to wind and frost . The branches are drooping. The bark is pale gray-yellow. The long shoots are colored yellow. The short shoots are densely covered with short, yellow hairs between the needle bases. The rough bark is gray to gray-brown in color and is divided into thin plates. The maximum age is 310 to 400 years.

root

Although the Chinese larch forms a taproot , it only penetrates to a depth of 10 to 45 centimeters. It has a well-developed lateral root system that deeply roots shallow soils and almost anchors the tree even in crevices. When the roots grow together, nutrients can be exchanged with other trees.

Wood

The brownish heartwood differs in color from the yellow sapwood . The wood is straight grained and has a fine texture. The density with a wood moisture content of 15% is around 0.53 g / cm³.

Foliage

The soft needles are 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters long and around 1 millimeter wide. They are usually two-sided, more rarely four-sided. The apex is pointed short and the midrib is relatively wide. There are two ostomy straps on both the top and bottom of the needle . On short shoots they are in clusters, on young long shoots they are loosely arranged in a spiral.

Flowers, cones and seeds

The Chinese larch is single-sexed ( monoecious ) and becomes manable at 10 to 30 years of age. The flowering period extends from April to May. The round male cones are terminal on short shoots. They are yellow in color and have a short stalk. The rounded to elongated female cones are also terminal on short shoots. They have light red to greenish red cover scales. The elongated egg-shaped cones are 3 to 4.5 inches long. They are initially reddish and turn blue-red to dark brown as they ripen. When ripe, the cone scales spread at an angle of 70 to 90 ° from the cone axis. The almost round and densely hairy seed scales are around 1 centimeter long and just as wide. They are found in the armpits of the somewhat longer, rectangular and sharply pointed cover scales. The cover scales are colored purple. The brownish and triangular seeds are released in October. They are around 3 millimeters long and have a 6 millimeter long wing. The thousand grain weight is between 3.6 and 4.8 grams.

Distribution and location

The Chinese larch is endemic to the south of the Chinese province of Shaanxi . The main range of the species includes the subalpine zone of the Qin Ling Mountains, particularly Mount Taibai . The distribution area of ​​the Chinese larch is adjacent to that of other varieties of Larix potaninii , but they do not merge. There are scattered deposits on Mount Guangtou , Mount Yuhuang , Mount Shouyang and Mount Xinlonglin , all of which are in Shaanxi Province .

The Chinese larch is a tree species found in the tree line. It occurs at altitudes from 2,500 to 3,500 meters. It is an undemanding, cold and wind-resistant light tree species that mostly inhabits poor primary soils over icy rock. These soils usually consist of sandy, loamy or gravelly substrates made of granite, gneiss, mica or limestone, shallow substrates. The species avoids wet locations. It usually forms pure stands, but there are also mixed stands with Farges fir ( Abies fargesii ), Himalayan birch ( Betula utilis ) and Sorbus tapashana .

Diseases and pests

Premature needle fall is caused by the tubular fungus Lophodermium laricinum . Wood rot is caused by white rot pathogens and can hollow out the entire trunk.

use

The wood is one of the most valuable coniferous woods in China. It is light, has a fine texture, is resistant to moisture and is easy to work with. Due to its durability, it is used as construction, mast, panel and furniture wood. The natural stocks play an important role for the water balance and the stability of the landscape.

Systematics

The Chinese larch is considered by some dendrologists as an independent species, Larix chinensis Beissn. viewed. In contrast to Larix potaninii var. Potaninii , the Chinese larch has yellow long shoots and tapering red cover scales. The neighboring distribution areas do not merge.

literature

  • Schütt, Weisgerber, Schuck, Lang, Stimm, Roloff: Lexicon of Conifers . Nikol, Hamburg 2008, ISBN 3-933203-80-5 , p. 233-236 .

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