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Bald Cypress

Taxodium distichum

The bald cypress is a tall deciduous tree with needle-like leaves and distinctive “knees” that rise up from the soil or water around it. It grows in swamps and forests in parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

Appearance:

• Tree is cone- or pyramid-shaped. Older trees may have a flattened top.
• Feathery, flattened, needle-like leaves
• Young trees have pale green foliage that becomes darker green as they mature
• In autumn, foliage turns golden brown before falling off
• Small, round cones at the ends of the stems. New cones are green and turn brown as they mature.
• “Knees” that protrude from the water or soil around the tree. The knees are part of the tree’s root system.
• Smooth, stringy, grayish-brown bark
• Trunk base is swollen when the tree grows in water
• Can grow more than 100 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 3-6 feet

Habitat:

• Grows in rivers, swamps and wet woods
• Able to grow in standing water

Range:

• Grows in the southern portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia
• Specific locations include Maryland’s Battle Creek and Pocomoke River and Virginia’s Chickahominy River

Reproduction and Life Cycle:

• Cones mature in October
• Each cone contains about 16 winged seeds, which are spread by wind, water and animals
• Trees produce seeds every year, but good seed production only occurs every 3-5 years
• Seeds must be saturated in water for 1-3 months after falling to germinate
• Tree stumps may also sprout after being disturbed
• May live to be hundreds of years old

Other Facts:

• Gets its name from its “bald” appearance in winter
• Related to the redwoods and sequoias that grow in California
• Even though it is a conifer, bald cypress trees are not evergreen. They lose their leaves every autumn and grow new ones in spring.
• TrapPond State Park in Delaware has the northernmost stand of bald cypress in the United States
• Snakes, turtles, birds and other animals rely on bald cypress swamps for habitat. Bees, wood ducks and barrel owls nest in hollow bald cypress trunks.

Sources and Additional Information:

• Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Life in the Chesapeake Bay by Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson
• Chesapeake Bay: Nature of the Estuary, A Field Guide by Christopher P. White
• PLANTS Profile for Taxodium distichum – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Baldcypress – U.S. Forest Service

Places:

• Trap Pond State Park – Laurel, Delaware
• Battle Creek Cypress Swamp – Prince Frederick, Maryland
• Nassawango Creek Preserve - Furnace Town – Snow Hill, Maryland
• Pocomoke River State Forest and Park – Snow Hill, Maryland
• Chickahominy Riverfront Park – Williamsburg, Virginia