Bald Cypress

Bald Cypress

Botanical Name: Taxodium distichum   

Description (growth habits, light requirements & care): A tall, deciduous tree growing up to 50-75 feet by 30-40 feet wide, with a conical shape and unique “knees” in wet conditions. Thrives in full sun, but is home in shaded habitats, tolerates wet soils or periodic flooding, perfect for lakeside plantings or in a bioswale  

How you can help by planting this: Provides essential habitat for birds, amphibians, and aquatic wildlife while improving water quality and preventing erosion in wetland areas.  Valuable as roosting and nesting areas for colonial wading birds. Larval host for Bald Cypress Sphinx Moth.

Flower and Fruit (color, characteristics, season): Small, inconspicuous flowers bloom in spring, followed by round, woody cones in fall.  

Pairs well with: Pond Apple, Dahoon Holly, Cocoolum, Fakahatchee Grass, and Wax Mrytle.