Douglas Fir and Norway Spruce
The larch is the only European conifer that is deciduous, shedding its leaves in autumn. It is a native of the Alps, Sudetens and Carpathians, but today is cultivated throughout practically the whole of Europe. It attains heights of 40 metres and has a thin; high-set crown. In old trees the bark is thick and deeply furrowed. The fresh green needles are borne singly on one-year shoots, and in clusters of 25 to 40 on older twigs. The tree flowers in early April, one of the first conifers to do so. In the autumn it is covered with ovoid cones which remain on the tree for several years. The larch begins producing seeds by the time it is fifteen years of age.
It is now found in broad-leaved woods from England to Greece, eastwards to the western Himalayas and South to North Africa. It is estimated that there are about 30,000 of these trees in Germany. In France it is most abundant in the Vosges and the foothills of the Alps and in Great Britain it can be found from southern England to Scotland and in Ireland.
The common yew can attain a height up to 20 metres, but often it remains only a shrub. It grows very slowly, but may live to the age of a thousand years. It is distinguished by its reddish bark, dark leaves and bright red fruits. The leaves are generally two-ranked, and the inconspicuous flowers, borne on the underside of the twigs, bloom in March. The yew is a dioecious species, and the scarlet, fleshy fruits, which mature in late September and arc a favourite food of birds, are borne only on female trees. Today the yew is widely cultivated in parks as an ornamental, including its yellow-variegated and pyramidal form.
The Scots pine is widespread throughout most of Europe from Spain and Greece to the Polar Circle in the north, and to Siberia in the east. It is an important ornamental as well as forest tree. It attains heights of 30 to 40 metres and the crown is placed high up on the trunk. The bark is thick and furrowed on the lower part of the trunk and an attractive orange-brown on the upper part. The deep root system provides it with good anchorage, making it possible for it to grow even on steep, stone cliffs and in sandy situations. The needles grow in pairs.
In May the reddish female flowers appear at the tips of the new shoots; the yellow male flowers are borne in clusters on the previous year’s shoots. The woody cone does not attain its full size until the autumn of the second year and releases the winged seeds on dry windy days at the end of the winter.
The Norway spruce has a fairly shallow and spreading root system and is, therefore, easily uprooted by strong winds. It does not require a warm climate and is resistant to frosts. Its range in Europe extends to the polar regions and to altitudes up to the tree line. In hilly country it prefers cool and shady valleys. It grows well in shade but requires fertile soil and moist air. It is marked by great variation and occurs in a number of different forms. The soft and flexible wood is widely used in the building industry, and the bark yields tannins.
