Scientific Name:
Taxodium distichum
Pronunciation:
tacks-OH-dee-um dye-STICK-um
Common Name:
bald cypress, pond cypress, swamp cypress
Family Name:
Cupressaceae
Plant Type:
Conifer, Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Bark red-brown to grey, fibrous, exfoliating; roots poke out above water surface like knees; leaves 2-ranked, alternate sessile, pointed, needle-like, flat, linear, most 6-15mm long x 1-1.5mm wide (in pond cypress the leaves are tightly appressed to the branchlet and 3-10mm long); seed cones rounded, 1.5-3.5cm wide, at ends of previous year's twigs, each with 5-10 scales. Winter ID: buds rounded, 1-2mm wide, scale at each node 1-2mm long; fallen cones; root "knees" if planted next to pond. Conifers.org
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Columnar, Pyramidal - narrowly
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
22 - 30m
Mature Spread:
5 - 7m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun only if soil kept moist, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Bog, Well-drained
Water Use:
Wetlands
Landscape Uses:
Shade tree, Specimen plant, Waterside planting, Wetland - bogs
Additional Info:
Google. Some image are of pond cypress (narrowly conical with leaves not in 2 ranks and mostly ascending vertically). Cultivars shown or on campus may include
T. 'Cascade Falls',
T. 'Peve Minaret',
T. Shawnee Brave.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Needle-like
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Bronze
Shapes:
Linear
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Truncate
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour
Inflorescence Type:
n/a (male cone)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Colour (petals):
Male cone, No flowers, Brown
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Fruit Type:
Cone (winged seeds)
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Oct, Nov
Bark Morphology:
Showy, Exfoliating, Lightly fissured, Single stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Red, Tan, Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Rounded or globular (Distinctive smell)
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Organ Modifications:
Storage tap root, Pneumatophores
Propagation:
Seed, Grafting
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant)
Course(s):
- HORT 2355
Location(s):
- (BCE) Boulevard (Circular) Eastend : cv.Shawnee Brave
- (BCW) Boulevard (Circular) Westend : cvs. Shawnee Brave & Peve Minaret
- (PDE) PonD East : cv. Cascade Falls
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLN) Turf Field Lab North : along fence behind hawthorns