What tree is the most common in Russia?
Do you think it's the birch tree? Or maybe the spruce? Pine? Well, you'll be surprised to learn that it's… larch!
They make up as much as 40 percent of the taiga and all of Russia's forests.
Here are a few interesting facts about the larch:
1. It belongs to the pine family, but has soft needles. It sheds its needles in winter – which is why, in Russian, it's known as ‘лиственница’ (from ‘листва’ – foliage), because it behaves like a deciduous tree.
2. It can live up to 400 years! It has an incredibly strong trunk, which is also widely used in construction.
3. It grows very quickly and is highly frost-resistant. In fact, it can comfortably withstand extremely low temperatures!