Larix laricina
Tamarack
a perennial woody deciduous member of the Larix genus in the family Pinaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
Uses
Toxicity
Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Sawdust from the wood has been known to cause dermatitis in some people[8].
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The young shoots are used as an emergency food[5]. A tea is made from the roots[3]. A tea is made from the branches and needles[12].
- Plant part
- Leaves
- Product or use
- Tea
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Tamarack was employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints[12]. It is little used in modern herbalism. A tea made from the bark is alterative, diuretic, laxative and tonic[13][8]. It is used in the treatment of jaundice, anaemia, rheumatism, colds and skin ailments[8][12]. It is gargled in the treatment of sore throats and applied as a poultice to sores, swellings and burns[8][12]. A tea made from the leaves is astringent[13][8]. It is used in the treatment of piles, diarrhoea etc[8]. An infusion of the buds and bark is used as an expectorant[12]. The needles and inner bark are disinfectant and laxative[12]. A tea is used in the treatment of coughs[12]. A poultice made from the warm, boiled inner bark is applied to wounds to draw out infections, to burns, frostbite and deep cuts[12]. The resin is chewed as a cure for indigestion[8]. It has also been used in the treatment of kidney and lung disorders, and as a dressing for ulcers and burns[9].
- Product or use
- Alterative
- Product or use
- Astringent
- Product or use
- Disinfectant
- Product or use
- Diuretic
- Product or use
- Expectorant
- Product or use
- Laxative
- Product or use
- Poultice
- Product or use
- Salve
- Product or use
- Tonic
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Resin is extracted by tapping the trunk. It is obtained from near the centre of the trunk[4], one properly made borehole can be used for 20 - 30 years[18]. The resin has a wide range of uses including wood preservatives, medicinal etc. The hole is made in the spring and the resin extracted in the autumn[18]. The roots have been used as a sewing material in canoes and to make durable bags[12]. The bark contains tannin[10]. Wood - very strong, heavy, hard, durable even in water. It weighs 39lb per cubic foot and is used for telegraph poles, fence posts etc[15][17][4][9][11]. The roots are often curved by as much as 90° and are used by builders of small ships[9].
- Product or use
- Fibre
- Product or use
- Resin
- Product or use
- Tannin
- Product or use
- Wood
Ecology and functions
- Ecosystem niche
- Canopy
Environment
- Range
- Northern N. America - Alaska to Labrador, south to West Virginia.
- Habitat
- Often forming pure forests in the south of its range in swamps and wet soils[14][20][8], sometimes also on dry plateau or slopes in the north of its range[20][9].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- high
- Hardiness
- Zone 2+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerances
- high wind
- Wind
- Yes
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - sow late winter in pots in a cold frame. One months cold stratification helps germination[2]. It is best to give the seedlings light shade for the first year[19]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick out the seedlings into individual pots. Although only a few centimetres tall, they can be planted out into their permanent positions in the summer providing you give them an effective weed-excluding mulch and preferably some winter protection for their first year. Otherwise grow them on in the cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in early summer of the following year. The seed remains viable for 3 years[2] If you are growing larger quantities of plants, you can sow the seed in an outdoor seedbed in late winter. Grow on the seedlings in the seedbed for a couple of years until they are ready to go into their permanent positions then plant them out during the winter.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Prefers an open airy position in a light or gravelly well-drained soil[7]. Plants are intolerant of shade[9]. Tolerates acid and infertile soils and waterlogged soils[7]. Succeeds on rocky hill or mountain sides and slopes[7]. A north or east aspect is more suitable than west or south[1]. This species is very cold-hardy when fully dormant, but the trees can be excited into premature growth in Britain by mild spells during the winter and they are then very subject to damage by late frosts and cold winds[1]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[7]. Planted for forestry in Europe[16], they are not suitable for this purpose in Britain[1]. Growth is normally slow in this country with average height increases of less than 30cm per year[6]. The trees are generally not long-lived[6]. Planting them in boggy soil may improve growth rates[6]. Open ground plants, 1 year x 1 year are the best for planting out, do not use container grown plants with spiralled roots[7]. Plants transplant well, even when coming into growth in the spring[7]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[7].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009
Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-11-710012-9
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225
Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649
Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622
Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00
Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00
? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00
Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202
Howes. F. N. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Faber
Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00
Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X