larch

Any of a group of trees belonging to the pine family. The common larch (L. decidua) grows to 40 m/130 ft. It is one of the few conifers to shed its leaves annually. The small needlelike leaves are replaced every year by new bright-green foliage, which later darkens. (Genus Larix, family Pinaceae.)

Closely resembling it is the North American tamarack (L. laricina), and both are timber trees. The golden larch (Pseudolarix amabilis), a native of China, turns golden in autumn.