Identify by feature
Conifer that loses its needles in autumn: which one is it?
A conifer that turns yellow or russet in autumn and goes into winter bare is, in our region, a larch (European larch or Japanese larch), a dawn redwood or a swamp cypress.
4 species with this feature
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European larch Larix decidua
Conifer
Soft, light green needles in tufts that turn golden yellow in autumn and fall.
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Japanese larch Larix kaempferi
Conifer
Larch with red-brown twigs and small cones that look like tiny roses.
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Dawn redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Conifer
Soft needles in two rows that fall in autumn together with the side shoots; everything is opposite.
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Swamp cypress Taxodium distichum
Conifer
Deciduous conifer with soft, alternate needles; near water often with ‘knees’.
Tip: Larches have needles in tufts and cones that stay on the tree for years. In dawn redwood and swamp cypress the needles fall together with the side shoots: opposite in dawn redwood, alternate in swamp cypress.