Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Thursday - January 26, 2012

From: Hyderabad, India
Region: Other
Topic: Non-Natives, Trees
Title: Obtaining bark of Larix laricina from Hyderabad India
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I am in need of Larix laricina (Bark) for my research work. Please let me know how to procure it.

ANSWER:

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, home of Mr. Smarty Plants, deals only with plants native not only to North America, but to the area in which they grow naturally. Larix laricina (Tamarack) or American larch, as you will see in this USDA Plant Profile map grows in North America, mostly in Canada and is obviously a cold weather plant. In this article by Earl Rook, Larix laricina, you can learn about its growing requirements and botany. We learned that Hyderabad is in a hot, semi-arid climate, which would make it unlikely that this tree would survive. We also learned that propagation is by seeds and some are available from specialty nurseries online. You would have to wait a long time to get any bark from these seeds. Then, there is the problem of international control of agricultural items. We would have no information on that, you need to seek that locally. Perhaps, if you are doing research at a university, someone there could help you. As for bark, since the larch is not used for timber, it is unlikely that there is a source and the capability to ship bark. If you follow the plant link above, you will see the information on our website on the plant, and links to Google for more possible information.

Sorry we couldn't help you.

From the Image Gallery

Tamarack
Larix laricina