Botanical Name: Taxodium distichum Add
Common Name: Bald Cypress  
Plant photo of: Taxodium distichum
  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Tree, Conifer

 

Height Range

100' and up

 

Flower Color

Green

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Green, Light Green, Yellow Green, Red

 

Bark Color

Brown, Grey

 

Fruit Color

Brown

 

Fruit Season

Constant

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Very Low, Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate, Slow

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Moist

 

Soil pH

Acid, Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

Seascape, Water Garden, Wetlands, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Fall Color, Silhouette, Specimen

 

Seasonal Interest

Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Lawn, Park, Roadside, Street Tree

 

Special Uses

Erosion Control, Wind Break

 

Attracts Wildlife

n/a

Information by: Laura Van Leuven
Photographer: Richard Devine
  • Description

  • Notes

A beautiful, fast-growing tree, this Taxodium has a pyramidal form and produces lacy, almost fern-like foliage. The foliage appears light green, and has a needle-like texture although it appears almost feather-like along small branches. Its foliage turns a golden to rusty brown color in the fall and is contrasted against bark that is a reddish-brown color on older specimens, which is finely divided into vertical strips. WIth maturation, the trunk becomes widely buttressed at the base.
This cypress grows in a wide variety of soil types, yet is intolerant of shade. It should be planted in an open aspect where all parts of the tree receive sun. It may drop its nedles during a long drought, but is seldom severely damaged.