• Photo by: Roger Hammer, Dade Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Taxodium distichum

bald cypress

Nomenclature

Common Name:

bald cypress

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Taxodium distichum

Family:

Cupressaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

50 - 75 ft tall by 30-45 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

NA

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Deciduous. Very long-lived possibly exceeding 1000 yrs (Nelson 2003).

Noted For:

Hurricane Wind Resistance, Fall Color, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Can be used as a specimen tree, planted in floodplain areas, or planted in relatively moist uplands. Large rain gardens and bioswales. Tolerant of root disturbance, so a candidate for use as a street/parking lot tree.

Considerations:

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Availability:

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Propagation:

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Light:

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Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Stays wet -to- Somewhat moist, no flooding

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam, Organic

Soil pH:

Acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

Ecology

Wildlife:

Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals

Larval host for baldcypress sphinx ( Isoparce cupressi ) moth.

Attracts seed-eating birds. Valuable as roosting and nesting areas for colonial wading birds. 

Native Habitats:

Riverine swamps, large swamps around lakes. Inundated areas associated with some form of flowing water. Floodplains, sloughs, strands. May be associated with a longer fire return interval than T. ascendens.

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Old trees were exceeding valuable as a source of wood that was rot resistant. Younger trees with little heartwood do not share this characteristic.

General Comments:

Younger specimens have a conical shape, but older trees tend to flatten out at the top. In some areas, the strangler fig (Ficus aurea)has strangled many mature bald cypress trees--The Corkscrew Swamp is an example of this.