Larix lyallii

Subalpine larch is a medium-sized tree native to subalpine areas in western North America where it is often buried in deep snows during the winter. In the wild it is found in mountainous parts of southern British Columbia and Alberta as well as in United States in Washington, Idaho and Montana states, reaching a height of about 25 m.

• Deciduous needles are soft tipped, up to 3.5 cm long, in bunches of 30–40 on short shoots; they are first bright green, turning gray-green in summer then to orange in autumn.
• Male flowers are yellow, drooping beneath the shoot; females are red, upright in separate clusters.
• Seed cones are brown, upright oval and up to 5 cm long, notably with tipped bracts longer than the scales. Scales and bracts curve towards the base of the cone, making it look ragged.
• Twigs are orange-brown with pubescent hairs, densely felted when young. The thin bark is scaly and furrowed.