Occurrence and distribution of cones borne laterally on long shoots of Larix laricina
Trees of Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch reaching the stage of first cone bearing tended to produce the majority of their seed cones, and many of their pollen cones, in lateral (axillary) positions along long shoots. In subsequent cone bearing, a greater proportion of the cones occurred in the typical (for the genus) position terminating short shoots. Some trees 2 to 4 m tall bore over 500 lateral seed cones. Lateral cones occurred on all kinds of long shoots, except sylleptic first-order shoots, produced in the 3-year-old portion of the crown. Lateral seed cones were borne on the morphogenically proximal halves of the long shoots and on all surfaces around the circumference of the shoots, but they were less frequent on upper surfaces than on other surfaces. Lateral pollen cones occurred in the proximal 10% of the lengths of the bearing shoots and were restricted to the undersurfaces or sides of the shoots. Lateral cone buds were distinctively larger and contained more bud scales than adjacent lateral short-shoot buds.