TAMARACK LEAVES IN WHORLS ON OLDER BRANCHES
SINGLE TAMARACK LEAVES ON YOUNGEST BRANCHES
TAMARACK, HANDSOME IN ALL SEASONSFriday, 8:30 AM. 39 degrees, wind variable, blustery. The channel is crawling and has some whitecaps. The sky is overcast and the barometer predicts rain. We could use a few days of sunshine.
As I have said before, the native tamarack (Larix decidua) is one of my favorite trees, and they are just now turning their characteristic golden yellow fall color. The needles will drop soon after, from which it derives its specific latin name. In the wild it grows mostly in bogs and wet areas but does adapt to drier sites, and as a landscape tree will tolerate a variety of soils and moisture conditions. Planted as a windbreak or screen on the south side of a house it will, being deciduous in winter, allow sunlight through when the sun is low on the southern horizon. Notice that the needles grow singly along the youngest branches, but older branches bear needles in whorls. This is a great landscape plant but does get very wide and very tall and must be given plenty of room.
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