Larix griffithii

 ( Griffithii ) 

Larix griffithii, the Sikkim larch, is a species of larch, native to the eastern Himalaya in easternmost Nepal, India (Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh), western Bhutan, and (in some interpretations) southwestern China (Xizang, Yunnan). It grows at in altitude.

It is sometimes called the Himalayan larch, not to be confused with Larix potaninii var. himalaica, which is generally known as the 'Langtang larch'.

---

Description It is a medium-sized deciduous Pinophyta tree reaching tall, with a trunk up to in diameter. The crown is slender conic; the main branches are level to upswept, the side branchlets pendulous from them. The shoots are dimorphic, with growth divided into long shoots (typically long) and bearing several , and short shoots only long with only a single bud. The leaf are needle-like, light glaucous green, long; they turn bright yellow to orange before they fall in the autumn, leaving the pale yellow-brown shoots bare until the next spring.

The conifer cone are erect, ovoid-conic, long, with 50-100 seed scales, each seed scale with a long exserted and reflexed basal bract; they are dark purple when immature, turning dark brown and opening to release the when mature, 5–7 months after pollination. The old cones commonly remain on the tree for many years, turning dull grey-black. Flora of China: Larix griffithii

---

Taxonomy Two varieties are accepted by Kew's Plants of the World Online; these are regarded as separate species by many other authors, including the Flora of China:

• Larix griffithii var. griffithii. Himalaya in the far east of Nepal, India, and Bhutan.
• Larix griffithii var. speciosa . Disjunct, in Yunnan. Treated as Larix speciosa by the Flora of China. Flora of China: Larix speciosa

Synonyms of L. griffithii include Abies griffithiana J. D. Hooker ex Lindley & Gordon and Larix griffithiana hort. ex Carrière.

Trees to the northeast of the range in eastern Bhutan and Xizang have been separated as Larix kongboensis (Mill 1999); they differ in smaller cones long. This species has been accepted by the Flora of China but not by POWO. Flora of China: Larix kongboensis

---

References and external links

Categories: Griffithii, Trees Of The Indian Subcontinent, Flora Of Tibet, Flora Of Yunnan, Deciduous Conifers, Trees Of Temperate Climates

Post Comment