Taxodium distichum seed
LATIN NAME: TAXODIUM DISTICHUM
COMMON NAME: Bald Cypress, Swamp Cypress, Southern Cypress
The bald cypress is a noble and ancient tree of the swamps, and its great, buttressed trunks and its feathery, rusty autumn foliage have stood in the southern waters for a very long time. It grows as a tall, deciduous conifer, reaching up to thirty metres and more, with a straight trunk that is often buttressed and flared at the base, and a conical or rounded crown of soft, feathery, linear leaves that turn a lovely rusty red-brown before they fall, while the trees of the wet ground often send up the remarkable, knobby knees from their roots, and round, green cones follow. It is a deciduous conifer of the cypress family, native to the southeastern United States, and it is a hardy and tough tree that adapts to a wide range of soils, whether wet, salty, dry or swampy, growing in the swamp water with Spanish moss and equally well in ordinary garden soil.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The bald cypress has a genuine and distinguished place in ecological and forestry research. It has been studied in ecology as a noble tree of the swamps and the floodplains, with researchers examining its growth, its remarkable roots and its role in the wetland community, while the curious knees of the tree have been studied for their function, and its great age has been examined, since the bald cypresses are among the oldest trees of the southeast. The tree has also been studied in forestry and wood science, since its durable, rot-resistant wood has been greatly valued, and researchers have examined its timber and its uses, from the building of boats, houses and water tanks to the heritage structures of the region, while its durable wood has drawn attention in the international wood and heritage press. Horticulturists have studied it as a handsome and adaptable tree of the garden and the park, prized for its feathery foliage and its rusty autumn colour.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
To grow the Bald Cypress from seed, ecologically, the bald cypress is a noble presence of the wetlands. Its feathery foliage gives shelter, its seeds feed the birds and the small animals, and its great roots hold the wet ground and give cover to the life of the swamp, while it is a familiar and majestic sight in the floodplains and swamps of the southeast, often draped in Spanish moss. Its economic value is real: its durable, rot-resistant wood has been greatly valued for the building of boats, houses and water tanks, and the tree is also a handsome and adaptable ornamental of the garden and the park, grown even in dry ground, bringing feathery foliage, rusty autumn colour and a noble wetland presence. To raise the bald cypress, soak the seeds in water overnight, give them a spell of damp cold, then sow them in pots of moist compost and keep them lightly watered in a bright, sheltered place.
soak the seeds in water overnight, give them a spell of damp cold, then sow them in pots of moist compost, and keep the young cypresses lightly watered in a bright, sheltered place.
LATIN NAME: Taxodium distichum
COMMON NAME: Bald Cypress, Swamp Cypress, Southern Cypress
The bald cypress is a noble and ancient tree of the swamps, and its great, buttressed trunks and its feathery, rusty autumn foliage have stood in the southern waters for a very long time. It grows as a tall, deciduous conifer, reaching up to thirty metres and more, with a straight trunk that is often buttressed and flared at the base, and a conical or rounded crown of soft, feathery, linear leaves, which turn a lovely rusty red-brown before they fall, while the trees of the wet ground often send up the remarkable, knobby “knees” from their roots, followed by the round, green cones. It is a deciduous conifer of the cypress family, native to the southeastern United States, and it is a hardy and tough tree that adapts to a wide range of soils, whether wet, salty, dry or swampy.
The bald cypress belongs to the cypress family, Cupressaceae, and it is a deciduous conifer native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide range of soil types, whether wet, salty, dry or swampy, and it is prized for its noble habit and its feathery, rusty autumn foliage.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The bald cypress has a genuine and distinguished place in both ecological and forestry research. It has been studied in ecology, since it is a noble tree of the swamps and the floodplains, and researchers have examined its growth, its remarkable roots and its role in the wetland community, while the remarkable “knees” of the tree have been studied, and its tolerance of the flooded and the wet ground has made it a valued tree of the wetland ecology, while its great age has also been examined, since the bald cypresses are among the oldest trees of the southeast. The tree has also been studied in forestry and in wood science, since its durable, rot-resistant wood has been greatly valued, and researchers have examined its timber and its uses, while the wood of the cypress has been used for the building of the boats, the houses and the water tanks, and its durability has drawn attention in the international wood and heritage press. The species has also been studied in horticulture, since it is a handsome and adaptable tree of the garden and the park. For a tree of such nobility and such history, the bald cypress has a rich and distinguished record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the bald cypress is a generous tree of the wetlands. Its feathery foliage gives shelter, its seeds feed the birds and the small animals, and its great roots hold the wet ground and give cover to the life of the swamp, while it is a noble presence in the floodplains and the swamps of the southeast.
Its economic value is real. Its durable, rot-resistant wood has been greatly valued for the building of the boats, the houses and the water tanks, and its durability has drawn attention in the international wood and heritage press, while the tree is also a handsome and adaptable ornamental of the garden and the park, grown even in the dry ground. For a grower, the bald cypress is an easy and adaptable tree, and for a gardener it brings feathery foliage, rusty autumn colour and a noble wetland presence. The seeds need a spell of cold and moisture — keep them in damp compost in the fridge for a couple of months, then sow them in a pot of moist compost, and theyll sprout steadily, growing on into a noble, feathery tree.
This is a beautiful tree, with soft green foliage. It is a pyramidal upright grower, and this is deciduous. They are famous for being able to grow with their roots completely submerged in water, but will grow just fine in normal garden soil as well. They are found very commonly in the southern US, but these seeds were collected in a zone 5 location from trees that, although weren’t native to that area are thriving and producing seed. These trees would make excellent additions to your rare plant collection, or just make a unique statement in your yard. Bald Cypress is a fast growing long-lived, conifer tree. This is a large pyramidal tree that can grow 50 to 70 feet tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height of up to 10 feet or more. It is native to Southeastern swamps in the United States. In the South, it is a familiar sight that grows directly in swamp water, often in large stands, covered with Spanish moss. In the summer it looks like a needled evergreen but it is deciduous with the foliage turning an attractive orange cinnamon brown to red in the fall before dropping. (“bald” as the common name suggests). Though native to swamp areas, it grows very well in drier, upland soils. Trunks are buttressed at the base, and when growing in water, it will develop distinctive, knobby root growths (“knees”) which protrude above the water surface around the tree to 6 feet high. The bark is reddish gray or brown with long fibrous ridges that peel off in strips. The cones, mature in late summer, are round and about an inch in diameter.