Bald Cypress

Scientific Name
Taxodium distichum

Average height at maturity:
50 to 70 feet

Average width of canopy at maturity:
20 to 30 feet 

Leaves and bark:

  • The bald cypress tree’s leaves are soft and feathery and are a light green above and whitish color underneath.
  • Bald cypresses have gray-brown to red-brown bark which has a thin, fibrous, and stringy texture with shallow, narrow ridges.

Other fun and interesting facts:

  • The bald cypress can live up to 600 years but some have lived twice as long.
  • The bald cypress is a deciduous tree (loses its leaves in the autumn) but looks like an evergreen.
  • The bald cypress is related to the giant sequoia and California redwood.
  • The bald cypress is native to the southeastern United States, is commonly found in swamps and is the state tree of Louisiana.
  • This tree is valued due to its rot-resistant nature and has been used to make fence posts and boats. It is also good for soaking up floodwaters and preventing erosion.
  • Look for bald cypress trees at the back of Wood Park, along the side of the Leonia Library, and in Station Park near the baseball field.

 

Sources:

https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=787
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Bald-Cypress
https://www.centralparknyc.org/plants/common-baldcypress
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/baldcypress/#:~:text=Most%20live%20up%20to%20600,for%20bald%20eagles%20and%20osprey.
https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/bald-cypress/
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/taxodium-distichum/

 

Photo Credit to Ben Leynse
Information compiled as part of Robert Slater’s 2023 Eagle Scout Project