Pond Cypress and Bald Cypress Trees

Latin Name: Taxodium distichum

Common Names: bald cypress, swamp cypress, red cypress, southern cypress, and white cypress.

Family: bald cypress is found in the Cupressaceae, or cedar, family. Taxodium ascendens (pond cypress) and Taxodium distichum (bald cypress) are the only Taxodiums in this family.

Form: bald cypress is a deciduous tree that grows to a height of 130 feet.  The base of the trunk becomes buttressed with age, and its roots create above ground “knees”.  [2] Young trees are more pyramid shaped and symmetrical, whereas older trees become unsymmetrical and jagged looking.

Leaves: the needle like leaflets of bald cypress are alternate on the stem. Individual leaflets are 1/2 to 3/4 an inch in length, and have a feathery appearance. In the fall, the foliage turns a reddish brown as the leaves are falling off the tree.

Flowers:  The male and female flowers grow on the same tree, which means that cypress trees are monoecious.  The male flowers appear as long droopy tassels of tiny pollen filled cones. The female cones form large round balls in which the fruit/seeds form once pollinated.  The flowers are wind pollinated. The male cones shed their pollen about 3-4 weeks earlier than those of the pond cypress.  When the female cones become filled with mature seeds, they are about an inch across. The seeds come apart in large flakes within the cone.  Wait until it turns brown and break it apart to separate the viable seeds.  Be aware that the cones emit a sticky sap so it is best to clean the seeds with gloves on.

Knees: bald cypress knees grow much taller than pond cypress knees. Bald cypress knees can get up to 6 feet tall.  The bark at the summit, or tip, is usually very thin.  The shape is irregular, with most being conical. 

Habitat:  bald cypress prefers moving water and is found naturally occurring in lake margins, swamps, floodplains, streams, sloughs, the backwater of coastal marshes, and other riparian areas.

Native Range: bald cypress is found naturally occurring in the southeastern United States.  It is found in every Florida county except for St. Lucie county and the Keys.

Landscape Use: in the home landscape bald cypress grows fastest in full sun with moist to wet soils.  It isn’t a good candidate for areas where people walk because of the cypress knees that develop from the roots of this tree.  The knees create a trip hazard.  Although much literature states, the knees don’t develop when the tree is grown in a drier soil. It is definitely not a tree to grow near your septic system, or home foundation, because the roots extend out to a large area and when the knees grow they can dislodge foundations and destroy septic systems.

Wildlife Uses: Many of our native wildlife eat cypress seeds including wild turkey, wood ducks, songbirds, squirrels, waterfowl and wading birds. Cypress domes provide unique watering places for a variety of birds and mammals and breeding sites for frogs, toads, salamanders and other reptiles. The knees provide cover from predators for smaller animals and many times gives them a chance to escape predation from larger hunters.

Propagation:  bald cypress can be grown from seed or transplanting individual specimens.  When transplanting, try to keep as much soil with the roots as you can, and it will have a better chance of surviving the move.  Many times very small seedlings can be found at the base of mature trees and if these are gently put into growing pots, with little root disturbance, the success rate for survival is fairly good.  As with larger specimens, try to retain as much soil around the seedling’s roots as possible.