Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Pseudolarix is a genus of coniferous trees in the pine family Pinaceae containing three species, the extant Pseudolarix amabilis and the extinct species Pseudolarix japonica and Pseudolarix wehrii. Pseudolarix species are commonly known as golden larch, but are not true larches (Larix) being more closely related to Keteleeria, Abies and Cedrus.
Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus Larix, of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae).Growing from 20 to 45 metres (65 to 150 feet) tall, [1] they are native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high latitudes, and high in mountains further south.
The great majority of conifer genera and species are evergreen, retaining their leaves for several (2–40) years before falling, but unusual deciduous conifers occur in five genera (Larix, Pseudolarix, Glyptostrobus, Metasequoia and Taxodium), shedding their leaves in autumn and leafless through the winter.
It is a medium-sized to large deciduous coniferous tree reaching 20–40 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter. The crown is broad conic; both the main branches and the side branches are level, the side branches only rarely drooping.
Most conifers are monoecious, but some are subdioecious or dioecious; all are wind-pollinated. Conifer seeds develop inside a protective cone called a strobilus. The cones take from four months to three years to reach maturity, and vary in size from 2 to 600 millimetres (1 ⁄ 8 to 23 + 5 ⁄ 8 in) long.
The tree is a large deciduous conifer reaching 30 to 60 meters (98 to 197 feet) tall, with a trunk up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) diameter; the bark ranges from orangish to purplish brown. [5] The crown is narrow conic; the main branches are level to upswept, with the side branches often drooping.
[2] [7] Other types of conifers, although abundant in occurrence, were restricted to mid and low latitudes in both hemispheres, confined mainly by regional climates. As global climate evolved, the rise of angiosperms began to put pressure on conifers at higher latitudes by growing taller and ultimately winning the battle for sunlight. [2]
Cupressaceae is a widely distributed conifer family, with a near-global range in all continents except for Antarctica, stretching from 70°N in arctic Norway (Juniperus communis) [3] to 55°S in southernmost Chile (Pilgerodendron uviferum), further south than any other conifer species. [4] Juniperus indica reaches 4930 m altitude in Tibet. [5]