Texas Tech University

Bald Cypress

Taxodium distichum
Deciduous-Trees

(Detailed plant information can be found at the bottom of the page.)
Taxodium distichum

Taxodium distichum Photo Gallery



Taxodium distichum Plant Information

Classification  
   
Scientific Name: Taxodium distichum
Common Name: bald cypress
Family: Taxodiaceae
Suggested Uses: parks, large estates as a specimen tree, wet areas, street tree, groupings, groves
   
Characteristics  
   
Plant Form: pyramidal shape
Height: 50 - 70 feet tall
Foliage: deciduous, spirally arranged or alternate

0.5 inches long, linear to lanceolate

dark orange in fall
Flower: monoecious
Fruit: cones
Bark: reddish brown, fibrous

trunk becomes strongly buttressed in wet areas
   
Environment  
   
Sun: full sun
Water: tolerates wet or dry sites, adaptable
Soil: adaptable to different pH and soil moisture conditions

likes good drainage
USDA Zone: zones 4 - 11
Native Range: Southeastern and Gulf Coastal Plains
   
Care  
   
Maintenance: many plants develop "knees" (woody conical growths from the roots that are produced in wet areas or near water features); their exact function is not known
   
Additional Notes:

hot summers preferred for good growth

old growth stand in Bladen County, North Carolina is over 1,620 years old

TTU Plant Resources