Bald Cypress

Taxodium distichum (L.) L.C. Rich.

           

      

          

All photographs are copyrighted and are the property of E. Brunner.

Family:  Taxodiaceae

Native or Introduced to Illinois:  native

Natural Habit in Illinois:  swamps and low, wet woods

Leaf:  The bald cypress is a deciduous conifer.   The leaves are alternate, linear and flat with blades generally spreading around the twig. 

Flower:  Its male and female flowers form slender tassle-like structures near the edge of the branchlets.

Fruit:  Bald cypress trees produces cone fruit, and there are approximately 5,200 seeds per pound. 

Twig/Bark:  The bark is thin and fibrous with an interwoven pattern of narrow flat ridges and narrow furrows. 

Size/Form/Shape:   Bald cypress is a large, slow-growing but long-lived, deciduous conifer, which frequently reaches 100 to 120 feet in height and 3 to 6 feet in diameter. Its trunk is massive, tapered and buttressed.   "Cypress knees" occur only near water.

Other:  Erosion Control: Riverine swamps of bald cypress reduce damage from floods and act as sediment and pollutant traps as they cause floodwaters to spread out, slow down, and infiltrate the soil.

 Timber: Its wood is valuable for building construction, fence posts, planking in boats, river pilings, doors, blinds, flooring, shingles, garden boxes, caskets, interior trim and cabinetry.

 Wildlife: Its seeds are eaten by wild turkey, wood ducks, evening grosbeak, 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.  Yellow-throated warblers forage in the Spanish moss often found hanging on the branches.  Its tops provide nesting sites for bald eagles, ospreys, herons, and egrets. 

 Site Rehabilitation: It has potential for rehabilitating margins of surface-mined lakes.  Cypress domes can serve as tertiary sewage treatment facilities for improving water quality and recharging groundwater. 

 Beautification: This species has been planted as a water tolerant tree species used for shading and canopy closure in mosquito control programs.  It has been successfully planted throughout its range as an ornamental and along roadsides.

County Distribution Map for Illinois:  

Sources for the Sullivan Middle School Tree Identification Guide were obtained though the use of the following sites:

• Illinois Plant Information Network (ILPIN) @ http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/ilpin/ilpin.html#Background
• List of Woody Plants Native or Naturalized in Illinois @ http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/woody.html
• Tree Species @ http://ostermiller.org/tree/species.html
• Index to Eastern/Central Trees @ http://www.arborday.org/trees/ECtreelist.html
• ISU Forestry Extension Identification of Common Trees of Iowa @ http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Pages/tree/
• Key to Leaves of Virginia Trees @ http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/forsite/key/intro.htm
• List of Native Trees for Use Along Roadsides in Illinois @ http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/treetable.html
• The PLANTS Database @ http://plants.usda.gov/

The information below is from the National Arbor Day Foundation.  This information can be viewed in the original (source) form by visiting The National Arbor Day Foundation at http://www.arborday.org.

GROWING REQUIREMENTS/RATE
Sun Exposure:  This cypress does well in full sun.
Soil Type:  The Bald Cypress grows in acidic, loamy, moist, clay, sandy, wet, well-drained soils and is drought tolerant.
Moisture:  It is adaptable to wet or dry conditions, and can withstand flooding.
Growth Rate:  This tree grows at a medium growth rate.

Hardiness Zones:  4 - 10
This cypress can be expected to grow in the zones shown in color in the arborday.org zone map.