Larix griffithii
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Larix griffithii, the Sikkim larch, is a species of larch, native to the eastern Himalaya in easternmost Nepal, Sikkim, western Bhutan, and (in some interpretations) southwestern China (Xizang, Yunnan). It grows at Template:Convert in altitude.[1]
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 coniferous tree reaching Template:Convert tall, with a trunk up to Template:Convert 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 Template:Convert long) and bearing several buds, and short shoots only Template:Convert long with only a single bud. The leaves are needle-like, light glaucous green, Template:Convert 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 cones are erect, ovoid-conic, Template:Convert 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 seeds when mature, 5–7 months after pollination. The old cones commonly remain on the tree for many years, turning dull grey-black.[2]
Taxonomy
Two varieties are accepted by Kew's Plants of the World Online;[3] these are regarded as separate species by many other authors, including the Flora of China:[2]
- Larix griffithii var. griffithii. Himalaya in the far east of Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan.
- Larix griffithii var. speciosa (W.C.Cheng & Y.W.Law) FarjonScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".. Disjunct, in Yunnan. Treated as Larix speciosa W.C.Cheng & Y.W.LawScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". by the Flora of China.[4]
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 Template:Convert long. This species has been accepted by the Flora of China but not by POWO.[3][5][6]
References and external links
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- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ Flora of China: Larix speciosa
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- ↑ Flora of China: Larix kongboensis