European larch

The only native conifer of the Alps to shed its needles – in autumn golden larches set the valleys of the Engadine and Valais ablaze.

The European larch is a tall conifer and the only native conifer of Central Europe that sheds its needles for the winter. In spring it puts out soft, bright green tufts of needles and red female cones, and in autumn it turns golden orange. It likes plenty of light and tolerates a harsh continental climate, so it dominates in the dry inner-Alpine valleys, often at 1,500–2,300 m. Its hard, resinous wood is highly resistant to damp and is used to build houses, shingles and bridges.

Significance in the country

In the Engadine and Valais, larches form traditional wood pastures, where cattle graze beneath an open canopy. Larch shingles and boards have roofed alpine huts for centuries, and the “golden larches” of autumn are one of the main tourist attractions of Graubünden.

Where it grows

Native above all in Valais and Graubünden (the Engadine, Val Müstair), as well as in Ticino, Uri and the Bernese Oberland; outside the Alps it is planted in the forests of the Swiss Plateau.

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