Larix laricina is a small to medium-size boreal deciduous conifer tree reaching 15–23 m (49–75 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 60 cm (24 in) diameter. The bark of mature trees are reddish, the young trees are gray with smooth bark. The leaves are needle-like, 2.5 cm (1 in) short, light blue-green, turning bright yellow before they fall in the autumn, leaving the shoots bare until the next spring. The needles are produced in clusters on long woody spur shoots. The cones are the smallest of any larch, only 1–2.3 cm (3⁄8–7⁄8 in) long, with 12-25 seed scales; they are bright red, turning brown and opening to release the seeds when mature, 4 to 6 months after pollination.

Key characteristics:

• The needles are normally borne on a short shoot in groups of 10–20 needles.
• The larch is deciduous and the needles turn yellow in autumn.
• The seed cones are small, less than 2 cm (3⁄4 in) long, with lustrous brown scales.
• Larch are commonly found in swamps, fens, bogs, and other low-land areas.