Larix laricina 'Northern Torch' is a dwarf selection of American Larch. Its needles and branchlets are quite typical of the species including its deciduous nature. The overall form of the plant is very dense and globose.
Bill Journeay discovered this Larix laricina witches broom along the highway in Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Canada. This mutation on a wild tree provided the propagation material that became 'Northern Torch.' The broom is on a relatively young tree growing in the open, is very dense and appears to be fast growing. As is true with many Larix cultivars, 'Northern Torch' is easily propagated through grafting. Bill believes it will be a very interesting cultivar when grafted high on a standard. He says further that its initial form said "torch" to him the moment he first saw it. It has been propagated by grafting at a local nursery in New Brunswick, Canada and will soon be included in the conifer collection at Kingsbrae Gardens, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada.
