The European larch (Larix decidua) is a species of larch that grows to a height of up to 40 metres, with a trunk diameter of up to 1.5 metres. It has a well-developed root system with a strong taproot. The bark is grey- brown and up to 4 cm thick. Needles grow in bundles of 20 to 50. They are 1–4 cm long and drop in winter. The cones are brownish and measure up to 4 cm; they remain on the branches for several years.
The larch is one of the hardiest tree species and in Slovenia can be found at altitudes of up to 2,000 metres above sea level. Larches form the forest line and treeline. The solitary storm-defying trees sometimes seen on mountainsides – bent by the wind into fantastic shapes and hoary with age – are often larches. The late photographer Jaka Čop immortalised many of them in the timeless black-and-white photographs collected in his book Viharniki (“Storm Trees”).
Many people think that larches are most beautiful in autumn, when their needles turn gold before they fall. No wonder that people once believed that fairies lived in larch forests.
The larch in the valley of the Mala Pišnica stream, at the heart of the Triglav National Park, is one of the oldest trees in Slovenia; its age is estimated to be around 1,000 years. Its trunk has a circumference of around 420 cm, but the tree is only just over 20 metres tall, its top having been broken off by lightning or wet snow.
