European larchrory_middleton, CC BY 4.0
Introduced, rarely naturalised · Up to 45 m

European larch

Larix decidua · Pinaceae

European larch is a conifer that sheds its needles in autumn. Soft needles grow in tufts from small woody knobs on the twigs. Old cones stay on the bare branches all winter.

Often mistaken for Norway spruce. How to tell them apart →
Know it byNeedle tuftsSoft, bright green needles in tufts, a tuft to each knob.Whole treeA needled tree that turns yellow, then goes bare all winter.ConesRed in spring, then small brown cones with straight scales.

Then check · TwigsIn winter the shoots are amber or pale pink with rows of short woody knobs. Japanese larch has reddish shoots with a waxy white bloom.

How to identify a European larch

European larch: needle tufts
Needle tufts

Larch needles are soft and bright green, and grow in tufts, with many springing together from each short woody knob on the twig.

European larch: whole treeMarco Mussita, CC BY 4.0
Whole tree

Larch is a needled tree that loses every needle. It turns yellow in October and stands bare from late November until the new needles open in spring.

European larch: conesJeff Jones, CC BY 4.0
Cones

In spring, small red cones sit among the new needles. They ripen into small, oval brown cones with straight scales, and old ones stay on the bare branches for years.

Learn the European larch in TreelyEvery part through the year, and a short round each day until you know it.Get Treely

Every part, in photographs

European larch needle tufts: soft needle tufts on woody knobs, shed in autumnJarro Nevsbaru, CC BY 4.0
Needle tuftsSoft needle tufts on woody knobs, shed in autumn
European larch larch roses: ruby-red larch roses at the shoot tipsHazza, CC BY 4.0
Larch rosesRuby-red larch roses at the shoot tips
European larch cones: small oval cones, old ones going dark grey
ConesSmall oval cones, old ones going dark grey
European larch bark: pinkish brown, with wide criss-crossing scaly ridges
BarkPinkish brown, with wide criss-crossing scaly ridges
European larch twigs: amber hairless shoots studded with short woody spursSusan Marley, CC BY 4.0
TwigsAmber hairless shoots studded with short woody spurs
European larch shape: narrow spire, bare and pale all winterrory_middleton, CC BY 4.0
ShapeNarrow spire, bare and pale all winter

When to look

JFMAMJJASOND
In leaf
Flowers
Cones

In leaf: March to November · Flowers: March to May · Cones: all year

Every tree on the calendar · How to identify trees in winter

Where you’ll find it

Older forestry plantations, shelterbelts, parks and estate woods. It is common in places in Scotland, northern England and Wales. It often struggles in the warm, wet west. It rarely seeds itself in Britain, though it often does in the Lake District.

What it’s mistaken for

European larch: how the needles sitNorway spruce: how the needles sitEuropean larch or Norway spruce?Both stand as green spires in the same plantations.How the needles sit European larch: spurs on a bare branchGinkgo: spurs on a bare branchEuropean larch or ginkgo?Both drop every leaf in autumn, and both hold their leaves in tufts on short spurs.Spurs on a bare branch
  • Japanese larchBoth are conifers that drop their needles, planted for forestry. Twig. European larch: amber or pale pink, smooth and hairless. Japanese larch: dark orange to purplish grey, waxy white bloom.

More pines, firs, spruces, larches and cedars

Atlas cedarCedrus atlanticaCedar of LebanonCedrus libaniCorsican pinePinus nigra subsp. laricioDouglas firPseudotsuga menziesiiGrand firAbies grandisJapanese larchLarix kaempferiNoble firAbies proceraNorway sprucePicea abies
In the app

There’s more of the European larch in Treely

  • Every part, through the yearLeaves, bark, buds, flowers and fruit, photographed in every season
  • Its lookalikes, side by sideThe checks that settle it, part by part
  • A short round each dayUntil you know the European larch on sight, from any side
  • Name it from a photoA leaf, the bark or a flower, and Treely tells you which tree
App StoreGoogle Play

Free to download.

Every fact on this page is checked against the Collins Tree Guide, last in November 2026. Spotted something that looks wrong in front of a real tree? Tell us. How we check.

Photographs: rory_middleton (CC BY 4.0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), Marco Mussita (CC BY 4.0), Jeff Jones (CC BY 4.0), Jarro Nevsbaru (CC BY 4.0), Hazza (CC BY 4.0), johnt77 (CC0), Susan Marley (CC BY 4.0), dawn2022 (CC BY 4.0), Clive Freedman (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.