Lady Liberty

Bald Cypress is a deciduous tree found in swamps, wet stream banks and bottom lands in the southern part of the United States.
Characteristics. Old growth cypress trees can reach heights of 80–130 feet and diameters of 8-13. The bark is silvery to cinnamon-red and Stringy. The leaves are about 1/3” to ¾” long and arranged in a feather-like fashion along two sides of small branchlets. In the fall the leaves turn brown and the branchlets fall from the trees with the leaves still attached. It has a straight trunk with numerous branches and a narrow conical outline. As the tree ages, it develops a buttressed base and a smooth slowly tapering trunk. The top of the tree tends to flatten out.
Fruit. The fruit is a rounded cone or ‘ball’ about one inch in diameter (see photo). The outside is covered in irregular polygon-shaped scales. The seeds are contained inside and are irregularly shaped.
Geographic Range. Southern bald cypress grow from eastern Texas across the southern Gulf Coast and Atlantic plain. Its range extends north to southern New Jersey and Illinois.
Additional Information.
• Cypress is one of a very few trees that can survive in standing water.
• Cypress wood is prized for its durability. The wood, particularly the heartwood, is durable when in contact with soil.
• Cypress trees have “knees” that extend from the root system to above water or soil. The functions of the knees are still not known. Scientists speculate that they anchor the tree in soft sediments or serve a respiration function.
• Cypress trees often have buttressed, or swollen, bases. This occurs most often in areas where they grow in flooded conditions. The height of the swollen base is a response to flooding.
• The name Taxodium is derived from a Greek word meaning “yew-like” and distichum means “two-ranked” and refers to the leaves.