Larix Decidua

The European larch is a species of larch native to the mountains of central Europe, including the Alps and Carpathian Mountains, with small lowland populations in northern Poland. It is a medium to large deciduous conifer reaching 25 to 45 meters tall, with light green needle-like leaves two to four centimeters long that turn bright yellow before falling in autumn, and erect, ovoid cones two to six centimeters long that ripen from pinkish red to brown. It is remarkably cold hardy, surviving winter temperatures to at least minus 50 degrees Celsius, growing up to 2,400 meters in the Alps though most common between 1,000 and 2,000 meters on well-drained soils, and confirmed individuals have lived close to 1,000 years, with ages around 2,000 years considered likely.