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Native Plant Society of Texas

Bald Cypress

Taxodium distichum

Other common name(s):

Baldcypress, Common Bald Cypress, Southern Bald Cypress, Deciduous Cypress, Southern Cypress, Swamp Cypress, Red Cypress, White Cypress, Yellow Cypress, Gulf Cypress, Tidewater Red Cypress

Family:

Cupressaceae (Cypress Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Leaflet Tiles © Esri — Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, TomTom, Intermap, iPC, USGS, FAO, NPS, NRCAN, GeoBase, Kadaster NL, Ordnance Survey, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Kong), and the GIS User Community
East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands
Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

50
to
75
ft.

Spread

20
to
45
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Limestone, Poor Drainage, Moist

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Medium, High

Native Habitat

Woodland, Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Purple

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fall Color, Seeds, Larval Host, Nesting Material

Wildlife Benefit

Birds, Small Mammals, Moths

Maintenance

A slow growing, majestic tree with ferny foliage that enhances many landscapes. Adapted to riverine habitats. Needs deep soil or poor drainage conditions. Foliage turns brown in dry, hot locations. Leaves turn terracotta hues in fall. Does not need pruning. Bald cypress diffuse and slow floodwaters, reducing flood damage. They also trap sediments and pollutants. Propagation: seed.

Comments

A deciduous conifer. Begins as a slender, conical form, becoming flat-topped with age. The tapering trunk is slightly buttressed at the swollen base. “Knees” develop from roots mostly in poorly drained situations. Exfoliating bark is red-brown to silver. Feathery, sage green leaves. Pollen cones: usually hang downward in loose, branched inflorescences. Seed cones occur near ends of twigs, green to purple, becoming brown, almost spherical. The thin, woody, four-angled scales produce one to two, three-angled seeds. Larval host: Bald Cypress Sphinx Moth.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Taxodium distichum var. nutans

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 320. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TADI2. 5) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Taxodium+distichum&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 6) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=8242&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 7) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014, 8) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=18041#null
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