Larix kaempferi 'Pendula' is an amorphous, strictly weeping selection of Japanese larch that will take on many forms depending on training and where the graft was placed on the understock. Unless pruned, branches will eventually weep to the ground and form a ground cover. The shoots are a rich to reddish pink on the new growth, leaves are Blue-green to glaucous. The small cones when present are distinctive with reflexed scales. The plant will never grow any than the height at which it's staked. Strong terminal shoots will extend up to 18 inches (45 cm) yearly, determining a specimen's potential mass.
This is an old cultivar that has been a mainstay of the nursery trade since the late 1800s. It was first described in Ludwig Bessner's botanical texts and thought to have been introduced by Hermann A. Hesse Nursery, Weener-on-Ems, Germany. This plant is habitually and improperly labeled and sold in the USA as Larix decidua 'Pendula.'
