Skip to content
Conifer · Cupressaceae Draft — unreviewed

Bald cypress

Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.

Also called bald cypress.

Deciduous conifer with feathery needles that turn russet before dropping. Grows in standing water yet tolerates ordinary and even dry urban soil.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 15–21 m (49–69 ft) tall and 6–9 m (20–30 ft) wide; medium growth, about 25 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the #15 install size.

05101520mPlanting1.8 × 0.9 mYear 310.3 × 4.4 mYear 1016.7 × 7.0 mMature18.0 × 7.5 m

Design notes

  • Forms "knees" only in wet sites; avoid next to mowed lawn edges if the soil stays saturated.
  • Hardy and successful as a street tree well north of its native range.
  • Wind-firm in hurricanes.

Regions

Native range: Southeastern Coastal Plain and Mississippi Valley.

Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:

Southeast

Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.

Related plants

Eastern red cedar
Juniperus virginiana · Conifer · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Longleaf pine
Pinus palustris · Conifer · 18–24 m (59–79 ft)
Eastern white pine
Pinus strobus · Conifer · 15–24 m (49–79 ft)
Loblolly pine
Pinus taeda · Conifer · 18–27 m (59–89 ft)
Eastern hemlock
Tsuga canadensis · Conifer · 12–21 m (39–69 ft)
White fir
Abies concolor · Conifer · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)

Plan with Bald cypress

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden