6 April: Larch

In the French Revolutionary Calendar, today was the day of the Larch. 10 things you might not know about these trees:

1. Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, and belong to the pine family. There are eleven species of Larch.
2. They are conifers, meaning they produce cones like pine trees and have needles, but unlike pine trees they shed their needles in the autumn.
3. The larch is native to Northern Europe and Asia and Northern parts of North America. They like cold, mountainous areas.
4. A larch can grow to 30m tall and live for 250 years or more.
5. They're good for wildlife. Red Squirrels and several types of bird eat the seeds while Moth caterpillars eat the foliage and cone scales.
6. The cones start off as Pink flowers and change colour as they mature. It's possible to eat them, although they become bitter as they mature, so they're best eaten in the pink flower stage.
7. The sap of the larch tree contains a natural Sugar gelatin. Native Americans used to chew the sap like gum.
8. The wood is tough and water resistant and so has been used in boat building and for exterior cladding of buildings. Otzi the Iceman used larch to build part of his pack frame.
9. In legends where there is a "world tree", it is often depicted as a larch.
10. Burning or wearing larch was said to protect people from enchantment by evil spirits.

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