The Taxodium reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Taxodium

Bald cypress - Taxodium
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Cupressaceae Genus: Taxodium
Species
Taxodium ascendens - Pond cypress Taxodium distichum - Bald cypress Taxodium mucronatum - Montezuma cypress

Taxodium is a genus of two or three species (depending on taxonomic opinion) of coniferous tree in the Family Cupressaceae that grow in the southern part of the North American continent. They are most closely related to Chinese Swamp cypress (Glyptostrobus pensilis) and Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica). The trees are deciduous in the north, semi-deciduous to evergreen in the south.

• Most "famous" is the Bald cypress or Southern cypress or Swamp cypress (Taxodium distichum) from the southeastern U.S. The trees are called 'bald' cypress because they lose their needles during the winter months. The largest remaining stand of Bald cypress is at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. These trees are around 500 years of age and reach heights exceeding 40m (130 ft). Ancient Bald cypress forests, with some trees over 1000 years old, once dominated swamps in the Southeast.

Bald cypress trees in swamp situations have a peculiarity of growth called cypress knees. These are woody projections sent above the water from the roots. Their function is thought to be to provide oxygen to the roots that grow in the low DO (dissolved oxygen) waters typical of a swamp. See also: mangrove.

The Bald cypress was designated the official state tree of Louisiana in 1963.

• The Pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens or T. distichum var. imbricatum) is smaller than the Bald cypress, and the bark is a lighter gray. The leaves are shorter, slenderer and are on shoots that tend to be erect rather than spreading.

• The Montezuma cypress (Taxodium mucronatum) from the Rio Grande south to the highlands of southern Mexico differs from the other two species in being substantially evergreen. A specimen at Santa Maria del Tule in Oaxaca has the greatest girth of any living tree, with the record specimen being 11.42m in diameter.

Uses

The trees are especially prized for their wood, of which the heartwood is extremely rot and termite resistant. Cypress wood was much used in former days in southeastern US for shingles. The shredded bark of these trees is a popular mulch, although the current harvest rate for this product is not sustainable and is causing substantial environmental damage.

References and External link

• Gymnosperm Database - Taxodium
• National Audubon Society. undated. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. A Companion Field Guide. Artype Inc., Ft. Meyers. 25 p.

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