Taxodium distichum (bald cypress)

Bald cypress is a long-lived, pyramidal conifer which grows to 35–120' tall with a trunk diameter of 3–6'. Although it looks like a needled evergreen in summer, it is deciduous ("bald" as the common name suggests), dropping its needles in winter and then growing a new set in Spring. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide range of soil types, whether wet, salty, dry, or swampy. Trunks are buttressed (flared or fluted) at the base, and when growing in water, often develop distinctive, knobby root growths ("knees") which protrude above the water surface around the tree. These occur only in or near water. Soft, feathery, yellowish-green needles turn an attractive orange/cinnamon-brown in fall. Large ornamental tree good for wet lawns. A popular ornamental for its light, feathery foliage and orangey brown to dull red autumnal color. 

Bald cypress is native to the lower Atlantic Coastal Plain from southern Delaware to southern Florda, along the lower Gulf Coast Plain, and inland along the Mississippi River Valley. It grows naturally only in swamps and wet soils. In Maryland, it is native only to the southernmost parts of the coastal plain. Host plant to a variety of moth species. Squirrels and other wildlife eat the seed cones. On Maryland DNR's Recommended Tree List; also listed as deer-resistant.

BONAP Native Range Map (bright green indicates county native, dark green indicates state native)  

Photo by Kathy Thornton

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