Larix kaempferi, the Japanese larch[2] or karamatsu (唐松 or 落葉松) in Japanese, is a species of larch native to Japan, in the mountains of Chūbu and Kantō regions in central Honshū.

[3] It is a medium-sized to large deciduous coniferous tree reaching 20–40 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter.

The old cones commonly remain on the tree for many years, turning dull grey-black.

[6] The dwarf cultivars 'Blue Dwarf',[7] growing to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall and broad, and 'Nana',[8] growing to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall and broad, have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

[9] In late 2009 Phytophthora ramorum or sudden oak death disease was first found in Japanese larch trees, in the English counties of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.