There are over 7,000 trees in Alexandra Park and Stephen Middleton from the Friends of Alexandra Park is introducing us to some of his favourites…

Golden by name, golden by nature, the Golden Larch (Pseudolarix amabilis) is our October Tree of the Month. The tree can be found in the Grove area of the park in a wire cage by the concrete plinth opposite the Grove Cafe.

Planted in January 2020, this young tree bursts into life in spring with attractive light green foliage which darkens over the summer. You have the opportunity, however, to see this tree at its best in autumn when the gold comes. A spectacular yellowy brown colours the tree and brings an attractive talking point to the area.

Although the needle-like leaves look similar to larch, it is not all closely related. However, like the larch, it loses its leaves in winter and joins two other deciduous conifers in the Grove, the dawn redwood (by the Little Dinosaurs) and the swamp cypress (by the 3-4-5 playgroup). 

The scientific name Pseudolarix amabilis translates as an attractive tree like a larch. Amabilis is derived from the latin word, amare, to love.

The first golden larch seeds were brought to this country in the 1850s by the Scottish plant hunter, Robert Fortune, from its native SE China. He also brought back many other plants now common in cultivation including forsythia and wisteria.

This tree can grow to over 40m high in China, but much less in the UK – the tallest tree in this country is in Cornwall and is just over 20 metres high.

Looking at the leaves of the tree they resemble cedars and larches being formed of rosettes of needles. Unfortunately this tree is not yet old enough to produce any cones.

In its native land the golden larch has been used for boats, furniture and bridges, but in this country its primary use is as an ornamental tree, it is also to be found as a bonsai.