Bald Cypress

Family: Taxodiaceae

Species: Taxodium distichum

Description: The bald cypress has a pyramidal shape similar to other conifers, with a broad buttressed base. The tree often is overgrown with Spanish moss. Bald cypress is a very important tree in the swampland ecosystem. It is valuable for wildlife food and cover. Canadian geese migrating to the south feed on the seeds. Swamp rabbits and other birds, such as Florida cranes and ducks, also feed on bald cypress. White-tailed deer escape to the cover of bald cypress swamps during hunting season. Many animals find shelter in and around the base of large old-growth

Leaves: The short green needles turn brown and drop off in the fall. Its bark is fibrous and an attractive reddish brown. The small, rounded cones are of little decorative effect.

Flower and fruit: Monoecious. Male flowers are long panicles. Female cones are round and purplish before turning brown.

Height: It reaches up to 100 feet in height in its native environment, but rarely more than 70 feet in culture.