Cypress trees (which belong to the Cupressaceae family) have been on the planet for many millennia. The word Cypress can be sourced from cipres, which comes from Old French Cypress trees that cover a wide variety of plant/tree sizes. These types of trees have the potential to live for hundreds of years and reach massive heights, sometimes growing up to two feet per year. Cypress Trees are prized plants because they tend to be tolerant to cold, ice storms, and even high levels of wind. Some cypress trees are classified as evergreens, and others as deciduous. Even among the variety of Cypress Trees, there are notable differences. The Bald Cypress tree (scientifically known as Taxodium distichum) is easily identified in the southern United States. The first scientific reference to the Bald Cypress tree was in 1640.

1. In 1963, the Bald Cypress was designated Louisiana’s official

Through a legislative petition, students from an elementary school in Baton Rouge chose the Bald Cypress as the state’s tree. It became official by an act of the state’s legislative body. Depending on the amount and time of localized flooding, they can be pyramid or conical-shaped.

2. The Bald Cypress is a deciduous and coniferous Cypress Tree & a monecious plant.

A conifer tree refers to a plant that bears cones/seeds. Conifer trees are considered ecologically important, with the ability to modify their chemistry to adapt to the climate in which they grow – especially in the northern, more frigid parts.

The Bald Cypress is also a type of monecious plant. In botanical terms, this means that the Bald Cypress has both female and male reproductive parts in different flowers. Male flowers are pollen- producers. They are purplish and small. The female flowers, as seed producers of the Bald Cypress, are unassuming and have two ovules.

3. The Bald Cypresses are trees with knees.

Bald Cypress trees have knees or at least a portion of the trunk that looks like it has knees. The ‘knees’ of Bald Cypress, which are known as pneumatophores, are woody growths that begin to develop when the tree stands in swampy or wet conditions. While the purpose of these unique knee features is yet to be fully understood, some believe it is an adaptation that allows for the supply of oxygen to those roots that are submerged below the tree’s root system. These structures begin as a greenish color but turn to a dull brown as the Bald Cypress matures.

4. The Bald Cypress is most prevalent in the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains.

There are three types of Bald Cypresses that are native and grown in the United States, although there are another dozen or so varieties found throughout the world. In the U.S., the Bald Cypress is prevalent along the coastal plains of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Bald Cypress trees can be found as far to the north in the southern parts of Illinois and include areas that range from Delaware to Texas. Ancient forests across the southeastern U.S. contain Bald Cypress forests with trees estimated to be more than 17 centuries old.

5. The Bald Cypress’s wood has been valued for many centuries.

Cypress wood has been recognized to be of high value for many millennia. The prized wood from the Bald Cypress is odorless and best known for its ability to withstand rot caused by outside elements, like rainwater and snow.

Native Americans (like the Choctaw Indians and the Seminoles) used the timber from the Bald Cypress to build homes, canoes, coffins, ceremonial objects, and even musical instruments. In more modern times, the wood from the Bald Cypress is used to construct railroad ties, cabinetry, interior trim, fencing posts, ladders, roof shingles, and even siding for houses.

6. Bald Cypress trees are quite hardy trees, and they thrive in USDA hardiness zones 4-10.

The hardy Bald Cypress is quite adaptative to a variety of soils (which can include dry soil, wet swamp soil, or alkaline soil). The tree’s hardiness and adaptability are two of the many reasons the Bald Cypress has become a popular ornamental tree. The rate of growth for the Bald Cypress trees will depend on their location. Locales with hot summers will offer the best conditions for good growth. In cooler or oceanic climates, Bald Cypress trees thrive, with a tendency to grow more slowly. Some of these trees in certain locations do not even produce cones.

7. The Bald Cypress has a potential lifespan of several hundred years.

Bald cypress trees are ruggedly tough and can live up to 600 years; with some Bald Cypress trees living even longer than that. In fact, the Bald Cypress tree is the oldest identified wetland type of tree species on the globe. The Bald Cypress tree’s growth rings offer a record of the location’s climate history.

8. The Bald Cypress grows to great heights of more than 100 feet, with a trunk diameter that ranges between 3 and 6 feet.

Bald Cypress trees actively grow for about two centuries. Their growth then pauses for the rest of their lives. Some of these majestic specimens reach a height of over 120 feet. To reach maturity, the Bald Cypress tree may take up to 25 or 30 years. It is then they start producing seeds to repopulate.

9. The Bald Cypress tree is best identified by its needle-like leaves.

Bald cypress trees are characterized by sharp, needle-like leaves that are typically ½ to ¾ inch long. These leaves are flat and alternately arranged in two lines along the tree’s small twigs.  The edges of the Bald Cypress tree’s leaves are smooth and hairless, with no petiole attached to the leaf. In summer, the leaves are green, turning orange and brown as the fall season approaches.

10. The Bald Cypress prefers excessively wet conditions in areas that range from New Jersey to Florida as well as east as far as Texas and Oklahoma.

Bald Cypress trees have the capability to survive in a variety of soils that range from acidic, alkaline, and salty. Note: however, Bald Cypress trees will not (and cannot) grow properly if the water in the soil consists of more than 0.89 % salt content. The Bald Cypress thrives in wet swamps, which offer ideal breeding areas for a variety of wildlife, including – amphibians, wood ducks, wild turkeys, water birds, and squirrels, to name a few.

11. The Bald Cypress, which is a member of the Redwood Family, is known by several names.

There are many names for the Bald Cypress. These alternate names include the Tidewater Red Cypress, Southern Cypress, Yellow Cypress, Swamp Cypress, Gulf Cypress, Red Cypress, and White Cypress.

12. The young Bald Cypress tree is symmetrically shaped like a pyramid.

As Bald Cypress trees mature, they tend to develop a wider spreading head to feel a bit top-heavy. Eventually, the older variety of Baldy Cypress will create a flattened top, which is often an ideal place for large birds, like the Raptor, to create a nesting home. The older types of Bald Cypress trees are typically hollow and used by wildlife.

13. The Bald Cypress is aptly named because this tree drops its leaves early in the season.

As noted above, while most conifer trees are evergreen, the Bald Cypress tree is different as it is a deciduous type of tree that sheds its leaves each fall. Its moniker that references ‘bald’ is likely due to the fact the Bald Cypress trees shed their leaves so early in the autumn season.

The colors of the Bald Cypress leaves, before they fall to the ground, include cinnamon, fiery orange, copper-red, tan, and yellow. Each new spring season brings new leaves to the tree.

14. The Bald Cypress tree’s bark is unusual in its look and color.

The texture of the Bald Cypress’s bark has a distinct interwoven pattern. This unusual pattern features vertical ridges (and shallow furrows) combined with crinkles that are fibrous and thin. The bark of the Bald Cypress has a color that ranges from brown to reddish brown.

The terminal twigs on a Bald Cypress are green during the flowering season but turn a similar red-brown when the leaves fall, and the weather turns colder.

15. The Bald Cypress Tree has foliage that will change as the tree ages.

Bald Cypress trees have foliage that changes based on the tree’s age. Younger trees have paler green leaves. However, as the tree matures, the leaves turn a darker shade of green. The limbs of the Bald Cypress are often covered with Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides).

16. The Bald Cypress prefers full sunlight.

Bald Cypress trees thrive in a location that provides full sun. In other words, to reach their full potential, Bald Cypress trees need approximately six to eight hours of direct sun every day. Note that more sun is better than less sun for these trees to grow to their potential.

Remember, Bald Cypress trees are quite adaptable, so they will grow in partial shade but slower and not to the tree’s full potential at maturity.

17. The Bald Cypress Tree is an important ecological component, providing structural stability to where it grows.

Bald Cypresses provide significant ecological benefits when growing in the wild. Because Bald Cypress trees like to grow in wetlands (along rivers, millponds, flood plains, etc.), they help prevent erosion caused by flood events. The root system of Bald Cypress trees has also been shown to trap pollutants.

The areas where Bald Cypress trees grow are ripe breeding grounds for salamanders, frogs, toads, etc. In fact, Wood ducks nest within the Bald Cypress’s hollowed trunk, while catfish spawn beneath the tree’s hollow logs that are submerged beneath the water.

18. The tallest Bald Cypress tree is located in Longwood, Florida.

Known as The Senator, the tallest Bald Cypress is estimated to have lived for three millennia. While the Senator once stood at 165 feet, it is now 125 feet, as its top portion was damaged by a 1925 hurricane. This world-record Bald Cypress is situated in Longwood’s  Big Tree Park; the land was donated in 1927 by a state senator from the Sunshine State – Moses Overstreet.

When it was first discovered, tourists visiting had to jump from log to log because this historic tree was surrounded by a swamp.

19. The Bald Cypress tree starts producing seeds when they are 30 years of age.

The Bald Cypress tree, as a conifer, has cones. Each of these Bald Cypress cones has 18 to 30 seeds. The seeds are typically covered in a red and sticky resin, which repels animals (like birds and mammals) typically attracted to the seeds of a tree. However, several birds will eat the seeds of the Bald Cypress. These include mallards, Florida cranes, and gadwalls.

If you plan to work with the seeds of the Bald Cypress, it is recommended that you wear protective when handling the tree’s sticky resin. Removing this resin from yourself, your clothing, or your workspace can be very challenging.

20. The Bald Cypress, like most cypress tree varieties, is not considered an edible plant.

Their inedible status is confirmed by the fact that even in a reliable source (like Purdue’s Famine Foods database), the Bald Cypress tree does not appear as an emergency nutrition source.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

Where was the oldest Bald Cypress tree found in the United States?

The oldest was found in North Carolina and was dated back more than 2,600 years.

What animals rely on Bald Cypress Trees as their habitat?

Animals that inhabit swampy areas benefit from the Bald Cypress. These include birds, snakes, wild turkeys, squirrels, and turtles, among others. However, owls, bees, and wood ducks build nests in the hollowed trunk of a Bald Cypress tree. Catfish will spawn under the Bald Cypress’s logs.

Which poets have been inspired by the Bald Cypress Tree?

In an 1847 poem entitled Evangeline, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes the Bald Cypress as having “Towering & tenebrous boughs.”