Bald Cypress
Taxodium distichum
Bald Cypress. Taxodium distichum, the bald cypress, is a large deciduous conifer native to southern swamps, river floodplains, and wet bottomlands of the southeastern and south-central United States. Unusual among conifers for dropping its soft feathery needles each fall after they turn russet-orange, it thrives in standing water — where it develops the characteristic knobby 'knees' projecting from the roots — yet also adapts remarkably well to ordinary, even dry, urban soils.
Growing & care
- Sun: full sun.
- Water: extremely adaptable — thrives in standing water and swamps but tolerates average and even dry soils once established. One of the few trees that handles both extremes.
- Soil: prefers acidic, wet soils but adapts to a wide range; chlorosis can appear in very alkaline ground.
- Hardiness: USDA zones 4–10 — far more cold-hardy than its southern-swamp reputation suggests.
- Mature size: 50–70 feet tall, 20–30 feet wide; pyramidal when young, broadening with age.
- Knees: the woody root projections form mainly in wet sites; rarely an issue in ordinary lawn plantings.
Propagation
Fresh seed from the round cones, soaked and sown in moist conditions, germinates the following spring; some cold stratification helps. Softwood cuttings root with difficulty under mist. Most landscape trees are seed-grown; named cultivars like the narrow 'Shawnee Brave' are grafted.
Common problems
Bald cypress is remarkably trouble-free and long-lived — specimens exceed 600 years in the wild. Chlorosis (yellowing) appears in high-pH soils and is corrected with acidifying amendments. Bagworms and spider mites occasionally appear but rarely threaten the tree. The knees can interfere with mowing in wet sites — site accordingly. Non-toxic to dogs and cats; an outstanding, adaptable shade and specimen tree for difficult wet sites as well as ordinary yards.
Bald Cypress — seeds, tools & books
Native range
Native to 18 states
