American Elm
Ulmus americana Large tree Zones 2–9 60–80 ft
Shares floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Western Larch
Larix occidentalis. Large tree, 50 feet where planted, zones 4 to 8; full sun; average or wet ground.
We do not grow western larch, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Mountain larch, Montana larch, western tamarack |
|---|---|
| Form | Large tree |
| Height, feet | 50 where planted; up to 213 in its native stands |
| Spread, feet | Up to 15 |
| Zones | 4 to 8 |
| Sun | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Average or wet ground |
| Growth | Fast |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Fall color, wildlife value, winter interest |
| Pollen | April to June |
| Fruit | Cones, August to October |
| First crop | About 25 years (occasionally from 8; heavy crops from 40 to 50) |
| Pollination | One bears; a second improves the crop. Each tree carries both male and female cones and the wind carries the pollen, and in larches self-pollination is one cause of empty seed. |
| Lifespan | Can live 920 years, and the oldest dated one reached 824. Only a tiny share of trees has ever been ring-counted or cross-dated. |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Ground | Floodplain forests, rich moist slopes, swamps and wet flats |
| Native in | 4 states |
Western larch is native in 4 states: Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and the Fire Effects Information System. The USDA PLANTS Database also records it growing wild beyond that range in Utah and Wyoming, where it is naturalized, not native.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it sheds pollen and bears cones, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of western larch's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Balsam Poplar
Populus balsamifera Large tree Zones 2–5 30–100 ft
Shares floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Peachleaf Willow
Salix amygdaloides Medium tree Zones 2–8 35–60 ft
Shares floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database, the Wildflower Center, Cal Poly's SelecTree, Oregon State University's Landscape Plants, the Gymnosperm Database and Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research.