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HitTheTrail
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 6:32 am 
Question of the day: what's the difference between a larch and a tamarack tree? Do we have both in Washington state and if so what is the distribution?

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Flora
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 6:36 am 
Larch = tamarack = Larix They're all the same...except there is Subalpine Larch and Western Larch. The larch that you see in the Enchantments, Sawtooth (Chelan) and other areas is the Subalpine (Larix nuttali) version. The larch (tamarack) around Blewett Pass and the Blue Mountains are Western Larch, which grows very tall and straight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larch (website about Western Larch) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subalpine_Larch (website about Subalpine Larch). From living in Eastern Washington, many of the folks there call larches by their common name, Tamarack.

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LizzyBob
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 6:51 am 
To confuse the issue: A forester once told me that Tamarak are Eastern Larch and anyone who calls Larix Occidentalis (our lovely western larch. Also found in abundance east of the crest around white pass) tamarak is mistaken. bawl.gif

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509
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 7:27 am 
When I lived in Idaho and Montana it was always called Tamarak. For some reason when I moved to Wenatchee, some people insisted on calling them Larch. These were also the same people that did not realize that Seattle was on the coast AND MOST OF THEM MOVED FROM THERE!!!!

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kleet
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 8:15 am 
509 wrote:
These were also the same people that did not realize that Seattle was on the coast AND MOST OF THEM MOVED FROM THERE!!!!
That's sorta like those who say Seattle is on the coast. lol.gif

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jackchinook
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 8:25 am 
LizzyBob wrote:
...anyone who calls Larix Occidentalis (our lovely western larch. Also found in abundance east of the crest around white pass) tamarak is mistaken.
That's what I was always my understanding as well. On the east coast, the related tree to our two LARCHES is the Tamarack. It's just one of a number of worldwide species of LARCHES. Westward migrants called them tamaracks because they look similar. ....of course, they're all just common names, which don't mean all that much anyways.

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jd_hiker
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 9:14 am 
This might be showing my ignorance, but can you purchase larches and grow them at lower elevations? If so, do you know where?

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BulgarianInWA
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 11:46 am 
You can certainly grow them at sea level, I've seen several in Seattle, for example, the Arboretum. Not alpine of course - just occidental. I don't know if you can purchase them though. I suggest you call the Arboretum and the Forest Service for suggestions.

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Magellan
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 12:49 pm 
509 wrote:
These were also the same people that did not realize that Seattle was on the coast AND MOST OF THEM MOVED FROM THERE!!!!
Last I checked, Seattle was pretty far inland of the coast. confused.gif

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dRoberts
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 12:59 pm 
hmm..is seattle not on 'a' coast? Maybe not on the pacific ocean coast but the Puget Sound Coast or shoreline... Noun 1. The shoreline or oceanfront. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coast

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Dave Workman
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 1:07 pm 
There's only one name for all of these trees: Firewood. biggrin.gif

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Dave Workman
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 1:08 pm 
Magellan wrote:
509 wrote:
These were also the same people that did not realize that Seattle was on the coast AND MOST OF THEM MOVED FROM THERE!!!!
Last I checked, Seattle was pretty far inland of the coast. confused.gif
Seattle is only 30 minutes in any direction from the United States. wink.gif

"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
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HitTheTrail
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 1:15 pm 
The coast, the coast? Weren't we talking about tamarack?

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Dalekz
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 1:21 pm 
Yes you can buy some around here. I have a European larch now 30ft high, It just doesn't turn that bright yellow like the ones on the eastern slopes. Transplanting those is not easy. As a place that has some. http://forestfarm.com/search/search.asp?aPage=1&index=genus&field-keywords=Larix&Go.x=5&Go.y=15

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Flora
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PostWed Oct 29, 2008 4:32 pm 
You could also check with your local Washington Native Plant Society for nurseries that specialize in native plants. I think there is one in the Gig Harbor area, for example. And I have seen larch growing in Tacoma! On the Tacoma Community College campus. Just searched the Internet for "Tamarack". Apparently the Latin name is Larix laricinia. They grow primarily in Canada and NE USA and are especially cold hardy: http://forestry.about.com/library/tree/bltam.htm So there are larches and Tamaracks and some are larches and some are Tamaracks. Are you confused now?

Flora
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