Larix mastersiana Rehder & E.H. Wilson

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Credits

Article from New Trees by John Grimshaw & Ross Bayton

Recommended citation
'Larix mastersiana' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/larix/larix-mastersiana/). Accessed 2024-03-28.

Genus

  • Larix
  • Sect. Larix, Ser. Grifithianae

Common Names

  • Masters Larch

Glossary

References

There are no active references in this article.

Credits

Article from New Trees by John Grimshaw & Ross Bayton

Recommended citation
'Larix mastersiana' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/larix/larix-mastersiana/). Accessed 2024-03-28.

Tree to 25 m, 0.8 m dbh. Bark smooth, yellowish brown, quickly becoming fissured; in older trees, the bark disintegrates into grey plantes. Crown broad and domed, though often conical in dense stands. Branchlets slender, pendulous, yellowish or reddish brown, becoming grey with age, glabrous, grooved; short shoots cylindrical, 0.3–1.5 cm long vegetative buds resinous. Leaves bright green, turning yellow in autumn, (1.2–)2–3(–3.5) × 0.1 cm, narrow to linear, keeled on both surfaces, apex obtuse to acute; 20–40 eaves per short shoot. Male strobili pedunculate, erect or pendent, 1–1.5 cm long, yellow with reddish brown perular scales. Female cones on short peduncles, ovoid-cylindrical, sometimes slightly curved, 2.5–4.5x1.5–2.5 cm, light green with yellow-orange bracts turning light brown with darker bracts when mature. Seed scales 30–40, obcordate to orbicular, 0.6–1 x0.7–1.2 cm. Bract scales lanceolate, apex triangular, 2–2.3 cm long, exserted and refiexed. Seeds light brown, ovoid-cuneate, wings yellowish brown, obovate, 0.6–0.8 cm long. Farjon 1990, Fu et al. 1999c. Distribution CHINA: western Sichuan. Habitat High mountains between 2000 and 3500 m asl. USDA Hardiness Zone 7. Conservation status Vulnerable. Ilustration Farjon 1990, Fu et al. 1999c. Cross-reference K163.

Larix mastersiana was discovered by Ernest Wilson in 1908, but his collections apparently did not result in any successful trees. It is now in cultivation, but extremely rare. Somewhat surprisingly, several flourishing specimens were seen at Quarryhillin 2004, but by 2007 only two had survived the ravages of Armilaria. These were from material collected in 1989 at 3000 m in Sichuan by Dr Yin Kaipu (Yin 92.2). Although planted out only in 2000 they were approximately 6 m tall seven years later, producing very long extension growth each year. Three specimens at Kew from the same collection have died. The species seems to be in limited cultivation elsewhere in the United States, and a number of examples were planted in 1993 the International Larix Arboretum (Mill 1999), but unfortunately no follow-up has been available on these.