Bald Cypress

Description

Ground view of Bald Cypress tree in open area.

This contains two species, both native to North America: Bald Cypress or Pondcypress (T. distichum) and Montezuma Bald Cypress (T. mucronatum). Both species look alike microscopically.

Bald Cypress are found in swampy areas along the Atlantic Coast from Delaware to southern Florida, west along the Gulf Coast to southeastern Texas, and along the Mississippi river valley to southeastern Illinois. While Bald Cypress grows most commonly to about 100 ft (30.48 m) and 5 ft (1.52 m) in diameter, trees can reach heights of 150 ft (45.72 m), with diameters of 12 ft (3.66 m). While a typical lifespan is about 500 years, Bald Cypress can live for up to 2,000 years. In wet conditions, Bald Cypress produces root extensions (“knees”) that grow above the ground and the surface of the water to allow oxygen to reach the roots.

Bald Cypress sapwood is narrow and nearly white, while the heartwood varies widely in color from light yellowish brown to dark brownish red, brown, or chocolate. The wood is moderately heavy, moderately strong, and moderately hard. Shrinkage is moderately low, although somewhat greater than that of the cedars and less than that of outhern pine. Frequently the wood of certain Bald Cypress trees contains pockets or localized areas that have been attacked by a fungus. Such wood is known as “Pecky” Cypress. Bald Cypress has moderate strength, hardness, and pliability. The heartwood of old-growth trees is one of the most decay-resistant woods; second-growth trees produce only moderately decay-resistant wood. Bald Cypress has been used principally for building construction, especially where resistance to decay is required. It is suited for beams, posts, and other members in structures that require substantial construction, such as docks, factories, and bridges. It is well suited for siding and porch construction. It is also used for caskets, sashes and doors, general millwork, ship and boat building and railroad cross ties.

Close view of Bald Cypress branch and cone.

Comparison to Other Softwoods

Key to Softwoods

Tech Sheet

https://research.fs.usda.gov/silvics/baldcypress

Other Common Names

Other common names include; Amerikanische zypresse, Amerikansk cypress, bald cypress, black-cypress, buck cypress, canoe water pine, Chinese swamp cypress, cipres Americano, cipres calvo, cipres de pantano, cipres pond, cipresso calvo, cipresso del sud, cipresso delle paludi, cipresso pond, common bald cypress, common-baldcypress, cow cypress, cupresso delle paludi, cypres chauve, cypres de la Louisiane, cypres de Louisiane, cypres pond, cypress, deciduous cypress, gulf-cypress, gulf red cypress, knee cypress, Louisiana black cypress, Louisiana cypress, Louisiana red cypress, moeras-cypres, moerascypres, pecky cypress, pond bald cypress, pond baldcypress, pond cypres, pond cypress, red-cypress (coast type), river cypress, satine faux, shui ts’uung, shui tsung kan, southern-cypress, sump-cypress, sumpcypress, Sumpftaxodie, sumpf-zypresse, Sumpfzypresse, sumpfzypresse, swamp-cypress, taxodier chauve, tidewater red-cypress, upland cypress, Virginische sumpfzedar, white-cypress, yellow-cypress (inland type), zweizeilige Sumpfzypresse.

Characteristics

Characteristics found in the Bald Cypress (Taxodium spp./Taxodiaceae):

Ray Tracheids Absent & Ray Parenchyma Smooth

  • Axial tracheids with biseriate to triseriate pits
  • Ray parenchyma with smooth end walls
  • Cross-field pitting cupressoid to taxodioid
  • Axial parenchyma with nodular end walls

Slides (Click on each image to view a larger image)

WOOD SLIDES

Microscope slide of transverse section of Bald Cypress wood. Arrows identify morphology of latewood compared to earlywood and the growth boundary between the two types.
Microscope slide of transverse section of Bald Cypress wood with arrows pointing to rays, latewood tracheids, earlywood tracheids, and the growth ring boundary.
Microscope slide of radial section of Bald Cypress wood with arrows identifying latewood, earlywood, the growth ring boundary, and rays.
Microscope slide of radial section of Bald Cypress wood with arrows identifying diagnostic features of intervessel pits featuring circular bordered pits.
Microscope slide of radial section of Bald Cypress wood featuring cupressoid cross field inter-vessel pitting and smooth end walls.
Microscope slide of tangential section of Bald Cypress wood with arrows identifying the rays and axial parenchyma.
Microscope slide of tangential section of Bald Cypress wood with arrows identifying locations of rays and axial parenchyma.
Microscope slide of tangential section of Bald Cypress wood with arrowsing identifying fungal hypha, nodular-type axial parenchyma, and rays.

CHARCOAL SLIDES

Microscope slide of transverse section of Bald Cypress charcoal with arrows identifying latewood, earlywood, and the growth ring boundary between the two types.
Microscope slide of transverse section of Bald Cypress charcoal with arrows identifying the location of axial tracheids between growth ring boundaries.
Microscope slide of radial section of Bald Cypress charcoal with arrows identifying the location of axial tracheids and the rays.
Microscope slide of radial section of Bald Cypress charcoal with arrows identifying the location of the ray and axial tracheids.
Microscope slide of radial section of Bald Cypress charcoal with arrows identifying taxodioid type cross-field pitting withing the vessels.
Microscope slide of tangential section of Bald Cypress charcoal with arrow showing the location of a branch knot.
Microscope slide of tangential section of Bald Cypress charcoal with arrows identifying locations of rays.