Leaf
Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.
Also known as: Swamp cypress, Southern cypress
Family: Cupressaceae
20 to 35 m tall
Planted by water in parks, tolerates waterlogged soils
Flowering: March – April (inconspicuous flowering)
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to about -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
It is one of the few conifers to lose its leaves every autumn; planted in flood-prone areas, it develops outgrowths called pneumatophores that emerge from the water around the trunk.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous (rare in a conifer), fine and flat in two rows, light green turning russet-orange in autumn before falling
🌸 Flowers
Pendent male cones in small catkins, barely visible
🍎 Fruits
Small round cones, green then brown, breaking apart when ripe
🪵 Bark
Reddish-brown, fibrous, peeling in strips
🗺️ Distribution
Native to the wetlands of the south-eastern United States
🐝 Value for pollinators
Wind-pollinated
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted at the edge of ponds and in wet areas for its tolerance of waterlogging and its fine autumn colour
🌿 Other Cupressaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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