Summary A description is given of the structure and behaviour of the terminal bud of the ‘long’ shoot in Larix decidua Mill, throughout the yearly growth cycle. Within the bud two regions of the new growth, the ‘axial’ and the ‘fascicular’, may be recognized. The capacity of a bud to grow into a ‘long’ shoot depends on the presence within it of the ‘axial’ portion, and is thus determined in the season prior to the opening of the bud. Weaker branches of the tree bear smaller terminal buds in which the ‘axial’ portion is reduced or absent.