FNPS Plant Database

Taxodium distichum

bald cypress
  • Photo by: Roger Hammer, Dade Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

bald cypress

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Taxodium distichum

Family:

Cupressaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Tree

Size:

50–75 ft tall by 30–45 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Deciduous. Very long-lived possibly exceeding 1000 yrs (Nelson 2003)

Noted For:

Hurricane Wind Resistance, Fall Color, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Can be used as a specimen tree, planted in floodplain areas, or planted in relatively moist uplands. Large rain gardens and bioswales. Tolerant of root disturbance, so a candidate for use as a street/parking lot tree.

Considerations:

Can produce knees, even if grown in uplands.

Availability:

Quality Nurseries, Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Specialty Provider, Seed

Propagation:

Can be grown from seed. Requires moist but not inundated sites for germination and early growth. Requires flooding for seed dispersal.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Stays wet -to- Somewhat moist, no flooding

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam, Organic

Soil pH:

Acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals

Larval host for baldcypress sphinx (Isoparce cupressi) moth.

Attracts seed-eating birds. Valuable as roosting and nesting areas for colonial wading birds.

Native Habitats:

Riverine swamps, large swamps around lakes. Inundated areas associated with some form of flowing water. Floodplains, sloughs, strands. May be associated with a longer fire return interval than T. ascendens

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Old trees were exceeding valuable as a source of wood that was rot resistant. Younger trees with little heartwood do not share this characteristic.

General Comments:

Younger specimens have a conical shape, but older trees tend to flatten out at the top. In some areas, the strangler fig (Ficus aurea)has strangled many mature bald cypress trees--The Corkscrew Swamp is an example of this.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Fox, Laurie, and Joel Koci. (2021). Trees and Shrubs that Tolerate Saline Conditions. ( https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-031/430-031.html ). Accessed 2026. Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.


Gann, G.D., C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. (2001+). Plant Name [in] Natives For Your Neighborhood. ( https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Taxodist ). Accessed 2026. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, FL.


Gilman, Edward F., Deborah Hilbert, Dennis G. Watson, Ryan Klein, Andrew Koeser, and Drew C. McLean. (2019). Taxodium distichum , Baldcypress. Publication ENH-778./ST620. ( https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST620 ). Accessed 2026. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. (1999). Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.


Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


University of Tennessee Extension Service. (2010). Desired pH Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants. ( https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf ). Accessed 2026. University of Tennessee Extension, Knoxville, TN.


Wilhite, L.P., and J.R. Toliver. (1990). Balccypress [in] Silvics of North America. ( https://research.fs.usda.gov/silvics/baldcypress ). Accessed 2026. U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

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