Larches are deciduous coniferous trees in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae.

They are native to the whole of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere. There are about 10 species, soem of which were originally placed in the genera Pinus and Abies.

The species include;

  • Larix decidua (L. europea), the European larch
  • Larix gemelinii (L. dahurica), the Dahurian larch.
  • Larix kaempferii (L. leptolepis), the Japanese larch
  • Larix laricina, the tamarack or American larch
  • Larix occidentalis, the western larch
  • Larix potaninii (L. thibetica), the Chinese larch
  • Larix sibirica, the Siberian larch.


Larch is also the subject of a well-known Monty Python sketch.

external link: the well known sketch: http://www.neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/PEOPLE/bolder/montypython/larch1.html