Bald Cypress

( Taxodium distichum )

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Pictures left to right - Mature Bald Cypress tree w/ inset showing the buttressed trunk, leaf form, cypress "knees", Bald Cypress sapling.

Family - Taxodiaceae

Natural Habitat - Sloughs, Freshwater swamps, Floodplains and margins of rivers & lakes. Perpetually or seasonally flooded soils rich in organic content.

Planting Zones - 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Description -  Long lived Florida native deciduous conifer, Bald Cypress grows 100 to 150 feet tall with buttressed trunks to 6 + feet in diameter with a straight trunk.

Cone/pyramid shaped when young becoming flat topped in older trees. The bark is rough and scaly with a reddish brown to light grey coloration.

Leaves are light green & fine textured with a feathery appearance, turning coppery brown in fall.

Bald Cypress is noted for its "knees" or pneumatophores which project upward from lateral roots. These are believed to aid the tree in getting oxygen to the roots in flooded or anaerobic soils and/or to help stabilize the tree.

Landscape Use -  Specimen, shade, or accent tree on wet soils, groups of trees with varied heights planted on pond, lake or stream banks. As a truly deciduous tree, Florida's Bald Cypress can be used for shade in summer while allowing warming sunlight to shine through in the winter.

Culture - Propagation by seed, full sun. Tolerates moderately alkaline to acidic soils. Can be grown in fairly dry soils if watered during periods of drought.