Description
The tamarack is a native species (like all the ones we offer) found everywhere in Ontario but is most common in the north.
This tree has all the appearance of a conifer, but is actually deciduous because it loses its needles in the Fall. It represents a very unique addition to a yard.
Its needles grow in tufts of 10 to 20 (sometimes many more) and are 2 to 3 centimetres long. Most conifer trees keep their needles year round but tamaracks are deciduous conifers — their needles fall off in the autumn and new ones grow in the spring. They are soft and flexible bluish green except in the fall when they turn yellow before falling off.
The tamarack is often confused with non-native European larch, which has much longer cones (~2”). They’re basically cousins.
The tamarack’s seeds grow inside light brown cones which are 1 to 2 centimetres long. Trees don’t produce seeds until they are 10 years old.
| Tamarack Facts and Features | |
| Mature Size | 20 m (65 ft.) tall, 60 cm in diameter |
| Sun/Shade | Full Sun. Not tolerant of shade |
| Moisture | Tolerant of dry periods |
| Soil | Adaptable to a wide of soil types. |
| Flowers | No |
| Fruit | No |
| Special Features | Slender tree - blue/green deciduous tree needles; bright yellow in Fall. |
