1.
Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi)
A deciduous conifer native to the central Japanese mountains, distinctive for being one of the few Japanese conifers whose needles turn yellow and fall in autumn.
唐松の林を歩いた。
I walked through a larch forest.
秋になると唐松が黄色くなる。
In autumn, the larches turn yellow.
長野県の高原には広大な唐松の植林地が広がっている。
On the highlands of Nagano Prefecture, vast larch plantations extend in every direction.
Also written 落葉松 (literally "falling-leaf pine"), which reflects the fact that — unlike most conifers — the karamatsu sheds its needles each autumn. Widely planted in Hokkaido and central Honshu for timber.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 松: pine — general term; pines keep their needles year-round
- 杉: Japanese cedar — Japan's most planted timber tree; evergreen
- 檜: Japanese cypress — prized for construction; evergreen