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Sikkim Larch (''Larix griffithii'') is a species of larch, native to the eastern Himalaya in eastern Nepal, Sikkim, western Bhutan and southwestern China (Xizang), growing at 3000-4100 m altitude. It is a medium-sized deciduous coniferous tree reaching 20-25 m tall, with a trunk up to 0.8 m diameter. The crown is slender conic; the main branches are level to upswept, the side branchlets pendulous from them. The shoots are dimorphic, with growth divided into long shoots (typically 10-50 cm long) and bearing several buds, and short shoots only 1-2 mm long with only a single bud. The leaves are needle-like, light glaucous green, 2-4 cm long; they turn bright yellow to orange before they fall in the autumn, leaving the pale yellow-brown shoots bare until the next spring. The cones are erect, ovoid-conic, 4-7.5 cm long, with 50-100 seed scales, each seed scale with a long exserted and reflexed basal bract; they are dark purple when immature, turning dark brown and opening to release the seeds when mature, 5-7 months after pollination. The old cones commonly remain on the tree for many years, turning dull grey-black. It is sometimes called the Himalayan Larch, not to be confused with ''Larix himalaica'', which is generally known as the Langtang Larch. Synonyms include ''Abies griffithiana'' J. D. Hooker ex Lindley & Gordon and ''Larix griffithiana'' hort. ex Carrière. Trees to the northeast of the range in eastern Bhutan and Xizang have recently been separated as ''Larix kongboensis'' (Mill 1999); they differ in smaller cones 3-5 cm long. This taxon has been accepted by the ''Flora of China'' but not widely elsewhere. ==References and external links== * *(Flora of China: ''Larix griffithii'' ) * 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Larix griffithii」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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