Taxodium ascendens Seeds | Pond Cypress
LATIN NAME: Taxodium ascendens
COMMON NAME: Pond Cypress, Pond Bald Cypress
Plant Profile
Known to gardeners as Pond Cypress, Taxodium ascendens is a large, deciduous conifer. Pond cypress is a graceful and ancient conifer of still southern waters, and it is one of the most atmospheric of the wetland trees. It is a native of North America, and many botanists treat it as a variety of bald cypress, though it differs in habitat, occurring mainly in still, blackwater rivers and ponds of the southeast. Mature plants top out at about Thirty metres. For the small amount of care it requires, the return is remarkable.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Taxodium ascendens ranges from the botany of the Taxodium group to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Species has also been studied in forestry and horticulture, since it is a valuable and beautiful tree, and its tolerance of wet ground has made it of interest. Interest from collectors and breeders has never lapsed, and good seed continues to circulate.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Pond Cypress for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Ecologically, pond cypress is a keystone of the southern wetland. Its roots hold ground of ponds and rivers, its branches give nesting sites for birds, and its leafy crown gives shade to dark water, while it is a graceful and ancient presence in still waters of the southeast. For a grower, pond cypress is a valuable and graceful tree, and for a gardener it brings soft, feathery foliage and a link to the southern swamps. After the first season it asks for very little beyond a place that suits it.
Bald cypress knees rise from southern swamps, and its wood defies rot; it is one of the few conifers that drops its needles, a golden autumn spectacle.
Growing from Seed
Starting Pond Cypress from seed is simple and satisfying. Sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly into a loose, well-drained seed compost, water in gently, and keep the sowing in bright light with steady moisture. Prick the seedlings out once they are large enough to handle, grow them on in bright light, and plant out when conditions allow.
Our Take
Once established, Pond Cypress, Pond Bald Cypress largely looks after itself. In a sunny, freely drained position it needs little looking after.
Related Reading
More species in the same orbit as Pond Cypress: