| baldcypress Taxodium distichum var. distichum Cupressaceae or Taxodiaceae |
Needles are alternate, 1/2 inch long, feathery and deciduous. Small branches bearing foliage are deciduous. Bark is red-brown and shreddy. Trunk may swell at base and be surrounded by "knees". Cone is green when young, about 1 inch in diameter, becoming brown and woody with peltate scales when mature. Baldcypress is found in swamps in the southeastern US. Intermediate shade tolerance. Pondcypress (Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium) is separated from baldcypress by leaves that are appressed to the branch rather than feathery. The soft and decay resistant wood of both species is used for greenhouses, boxes and boats. The seed is eaten by waterfowl. These species are also grouped in Taxodiaceae and are also named Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens.
baldcypress
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pondcypress
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All text and photographs are intended for educational purposes only and are not for commercial use in any form. All photographs are copyrighted by the named photographer(s), text copyright by Lisa Samuelson. © 2005, all rights reserved. Photographs by Mike Hogan. The swamp photo is by Mike Golden.
