Larix laricina 'Blue Sparkler' is an upright growing selection of tamarack with dense, congested branches that radiate outward at 45-degree angle from the terminals. Needles are bright, pale-blue that age to gray-blue over the season. As with other larches, droplets of water held in the leaf axils sparkle in the sunlight; hence the name 'Blue Sparkler.' After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 3 feet (1 m) tall and 30 inches (75 cm) wide, an annual growth rate of 3 to 4 inches (7.5 - 10 cm).
This cultivar originated as a witch's broom seedling selected in 1985 by Dr. Sidney Waxman of University of Connecticut at Storrs. At times this plant will be seen listed and marketed as a L. kaempferi cultivar.
