In North America it is often called Tamarack, or by the indigenous name Hackmatack, meaning ‘wood used for snowshoes’. Early explorers and tree hunters, including David Douglas (1799-1834) and John Jeffrey (1826-unknown), relied on it travelling through the frozen North American wilderness.

Grows near the northern tree limit in subarctic Alaska and Labrador, extending south to the Great Lakes states. It is the eastern counterpart of Western Larch. An unusual specimen in Britain and Ireland, seemingly unhappy in the mild climate.

Monoecious, deciduous, and a pioneer species.

Modest (20m), shorter at high latitudes. Branching short, light and often pendulous. Bark red-brown, finely scaled; twigs yellow-brown; buds resinous. Needles soft, blue-green, 3cm, triangular in cross-section, turning gold before falling. Female cones tiny (2cm or less) compared with other larches, often erect in clusters, with 15-20 scales.

Typically a short-lived species in Britain and Ireland where it is best grown in western areas with high rainfall, preferring poorly drained sites. Light-demanding.

No notable associations where introduced, but foliage and seeds provide a food source for mammals (e.g. Caribou , Snowshoe Hare , North American Porcupine Erethizon dorsatum) and birds (e.g. crossbills) in its natural range.

Prone to browsing damage by mammals in natural range. Where introduced, it is susceptible to similar pests and pathogens as other larches.

Its strong, flexible, durable timber was the material of choice for snowshoes and sled runners among indigenous people and early explorers. Its flexible fine roots were made into strong fibres for lacing, such as joining bark strips for canoes.