Quote Originally Posted by bobert View Post
Doesn't Лиственная порода have two meanings:
1) Hardwood
2) Deciduous (not evergreen)
No.

Hardwood - дерево лиственной породы
Decidious - листопадное дерево (i've never heard of such word, but it certanly exists).

You can probably say "Лиственница — это хвойное, но при этом листопадное дерево".

Quote Originally Posted by bobert View Post
Larches are rule breakers in that they are conifers and yet they are deciduous. My understanding is that larches are the most common tree east of the Ural Range.
Well, I can't speak for people in Urals, but in Moscow region it seems to me that people aren't much into larches) Probably this tree doesn't have enough cultural impact. I mean everyone knows spruce - new year tree, enough said. And pine is a beautiful tall tree with unique profile, carvel pines are famous, pine forests are very distingushable, and the smell, and thus. And what about larch? It's not evergreen, huh.

That's my theory)