Introductory
SPECIES: Taxodium distichum | Baldcypress 



ABBREVIATION : 
TAXDIS

SYNONYMS : 
NO-ENTRY


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   TADI2


COMMON NAMES : 
   baldcypress
   pondcypress
   cypress
   white cypress
   gulf cypress
   southern cypress
   red cypress
   swamp cypress
   yellow cypress


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name for baldcypress is Taxodium
distichum L. [34].  The species is divided into two commonly recognized
varieties which are differentiated by habitat and morphology.

Habitat:  Taxodium distichum var. nutans (Ait.) Sweet, commonly known as
pondcypress, grows in shallow ponds and wet areas westward only to
southeastern Louisiana.  It does not usually grow in rivers or stream
swamps.  Taxodium distichum var. distichum (L.) Rich., baldcypress, is
more widespread and typical of the species.  Its range extends westward
into Texas and northward into Illinois and Indiana [12,53]

Morphology: Pondcypress is less likely than baldcypress to have knees,
and when it does have them, they are shorter and more rounded.  Its
fluted base tends to have rounded rather than sharp ridges and its bark
is usually more coarsely ridged.  Its branches are more ascending than
those of baldcypress.  Seedlings and fast-growing shoots of pondcypress,
however are much like typical baldcypress.  Despite the usual
differences in the two varieties, it is sometimes very difficult to
distinguish them [39,53].

The name cypress is used in this write-up when referring to both
varieties collectively.


LIFE FORM : 
Tree

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Milo Coladonato, March 1992


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Coladonato, Milo 1992. Taxodium distichum. In: Remainder of Citation

Related categories for Species: Taxodium distichum | Baldcypress