Scientific Name
Taxodium distichum
Bald cypress is one of a small minority of deciduous conifers, dropping its needles every fall and growing a new set each spring. The prevailing popular image of this tree includes a highly fluted, buttressed trunk, growing straight and tall with very few lower branches, and an upper canopy festooned with Spanish moss and found standing in a swamp somewhere along the humid coasts of our southern states. Although this does describe many of its native habitats, we are fortunate that it also can grow when planted much farther north in places that are seldom or never flooded. Since bald cypress trees can tolerate winter temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit, we have no problems growing them in our region. What's more, though it would prefer to be planted where there is more rain and humidity, it is not bothered by dry soils, either acid or alkaline, and it handily tolerates salty soils, which are often found in areas irrigated with recycled water.
Bald cypress trees in their native habitats can reach heights above 100 feet and trunk diameters more than 7 feet. In Colorado, the largest state champion in Greeley is a bit over 60 feet tall with a trunk approximately 30 inches in diameter. The foliage, often a bit late to emerge in the spring, is bright green with a feathery appearance and very soft to the touch. The bark can be reddish or gray and is fibrous and stringy. The male reproductive structures are hanging catkins 4-5 inches long and are visible in the winter. The female fruits are segmented globular cones about 1 inch in diameter, somewhat resembling the small berries produced by most junipers. Some say they look like “miniature soccer balls.” In the fall, the foliage turns anywhere from yellow to a rich rusty copper color, before being shed. Bald cypress trees are slower growing than many, but are among the longest lived, with the oldest known specimens dating back more than 2,500 years.