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Japanese larch Pinaceae Larix kaempferi (Lam.) Carrière Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: LAKA2
Leaf: Deciduous, appearing singly on new growth and in whorls on older growth, 1 to 1 1/4 inches long, green to glaucous blue-green in color.
Flower: Species is monoecious; males light yellow, small and round; females yellow to red, with long, curved scales.
Fruit: Cones are 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, almost round, cone scales strongly reflexed, flower-like in appearance, borne upright on the twig, maturing fall to early winter.
Twig: Reddish brown to glaucous purple, bearing rounded buds. Spur shoots present on older growth.
Bark: On young trees the bark is scaly and gray, later becoming furrowed with a reddish brown inner bark.
Form: Well formed, with a straight stem and pyramidal crown. Lateral branches commonly droop.
 Looks like: Dunkeld larch - European larch - tamarack - western larch

Japanese larch leaf image
Japanese larch flower image
Japanese larch fruit image
Japanese larch twig image
Japanese larch bark image
Japanese larch form image
Japanese larch map image

Additional Range Information: Larix kaempferi is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information