Was it kept in a greenhouse or something? Could be some kind of cedar (Cedrus species).

Larix decidua...the name tells you. Yours isn’t European larch. As well as losing its leaves they are a fresh green, not silvery, in dense stubby bunches and the twigs are rough, not smooth.

cant tell with this poor pic.. too far away.. too bright behind.. etc ...

the look alike would by the arizona cypress... which is SORTA a look alike.. that is not supposed to be deciduous.. abut in my z5 was.. lol.. but it died after 2 winters of losing all its leaves ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=cupressus+arizonica+blue+ice&t=ffab&iax=images&ia=images

ken

ps: in blue plants... its a waxy coating the reflects the color of the sky.. making the plants appear blue.. the wax wears off over a tough season.. and the plants appear the green they are.. under the blue ... and thats why a better pic might clarify it all

btw... when the sap starts running in mid to late april.. and the tree is pliable ....pull that thing straight up.. and stake it to the height you want it ... and then let it weep down from there..

you will NOT be able to do this next year.. after the trunk thickens .. this summer...

ken

Possibly straight species that's etiolated?

I do not believe it is European Larch at all, whether straight species or weeping.

I agree with floral. It would be pretty darn weird for any sort of larch at all to have green needles in place in midwinter.

Maybe the tree never knew that it was winter.

Looks nothing like the larch I've seen, which was a beautiful creature.

What I'm getting at is: Judging by what appears to be a moisture laden greenhouse right behind the plant. This is maybe the first time the tree has been outside since it was started last spring. It won't go dormant if temperatures are kept too high on into winter.

And what I'm getting at is that it is almost certainly a deciduous species in any conditions. It very much doubt it retain leaves in winter, even in a greenhouse, and especially since this is a plastic greenhouse in z5.

Furthermore, leaves or no leaves, it doesn't actually look anything like European larch. The smooth grey twigs are all wrong for starters. Larch has rough, almost scaly, ridged brown twigs.

Virginia Tech Dendrology Fact Sheet (vt.edu)

Well, I agree with you floral, and I never inferred that it was Larix decidua. Just that it could be a deciduous species of larch that hasn't seen any cool temperatures, thus no dormancy. :-)

Below is a link showing twig of l. laricina, also rough texture.

https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/udata/r9ndp23q/pd3/larix-laricina-3.jpg

But I agree with ken, we need better, closeup pictures to be sure of anything.

One point about that tree is it's going to be badly root-bound in that tiny pot. Root surgery will need to be done before planting,,,,,,,

I went back and looked at picture of my L. laricina, when it was first year from seed (2020). It had smooth bark the first year but browner in color and definitely different needles and arrangement than the OP's picture. One season of growth shown below. Agree OP's is cedrus and will need some work when planting to unsnarl the roots. ;-)

Hey Everyone! I'm sorry i'm late back to this!! It is sitting in front of the greenhouse. It's never been inside the greenhouse. It has taken a few nights of -25C this year, and in a pot above ground. This thing is damn hardy. I will go take some more pictures closer up of the stem and needles. Thank you all!

It has taken a few nights of -25C this year, and in a pot above ground. This thing is damn hardy

Woody container plant survival of cold exposure is not determinable until after involved roots are examined. With new roots near pot walls being the least hardy component, plant tops the hardiest. This is why kinds like camellias can look normal after freezing in pots right up to bloom time, then fall apart (defoliate and shrivel) - there actually wasn't enough live roots left to keep the top functioning once the growing season started.

I was just looking up Deodar cedar (Himalayan cedar) ? could be

The ins and outs of Cedrus species identification are discussed at some length here.

Cedrus - Trees and Shrubs Online

Your last set of closer photos shows that the needles of your tree are partly discolored. This might be cold damage.

@Embothrium Yes, sorry I deleted that part of the comment. We had a few cold days and it took -25 a few times over night and wind.