Sometimes alternatively referred to as trachyandesite, latite is an igneous rock that typically occurs as porphyry, which is characterized by the presence of large phenocrysts in an extremely fine-grained matrix. The conspicuous crystals within the rock vary somewhat, but the groundmass is typically comprised of augite and orthoclase feldspar.

Considered the extrusive equivalent of monzonite, latite is a member of the calc-alkaline magma series and is chemically intermediate to andesite and trachyte. Though quartz is generally absent from the rock, when it is notably present in the groundmass, latite is an intermediary of dacite. Extremely plentiful in the western half of North America, latite is generally light hued, exhibiting colors such as gray, pink, yellow, and white depending on its constituent minerals. Feldspars are the most abundant minerals in latites, but biotite, hornblende, diopside, leucite, olivine, and pyroxene, among others, may also be present in lesser amounts.