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Cypress, Pond




COMMON NAMES:  pond cypress, pond bald cypress, dwarf cypress, hatrack cypress

BOTANICAL NAME:  Taxodium ascendens (tax-O-dee-um uh-SEND-enz)
FAMILY:  Cupressaceae (Cypress Family)

TYPE:  Deciduous - Sun
HEIGHT:  70 feet
SPREAD:  30 feet
SPACING:  20-40 feet

 
HABIT:  Symmetrical, pyramidal, open growth with very straight trunks. Rapid, more narrow growth than regular bald cypress when young but slower with age. Tends to green up earlier in spring and last longer into fall. Long delicate filament-like leaflets spiral out from the stem and do not open. Lovely, soft overall appearance. Rust fall color. Pond cypress has fewer to no knees.
 
CULTURE:  Easy to grow in most soils with normal water and nutrient requirements. Seed source doesn’t seem to be as big a problem as with bald cypress. Can tolerate wet and dry soils.

 
FOLIAGE:  Alternate, stiffly upright looking but actually very soft. Leaves appear to be whorled around the stems. Leaflets of true pond cypress do not open but remain as green filaments. Limbs and branches don’t droop like bald cypress. Fall color is copper colored. 
 
BARK:  Smooth but thicker than bald cypress. Isn’t as prone to have “knees” as bald cypress.
 
FRUIT:  Round to oval dry, hard green cones.

 
RANGE:  Southern U.S. in zones 5-9.
 
USES:  Specimen, shade tree, mass planting, background tree.

 
PROBLEMS:  Availability.
 
NOTES:  It has become more available. Also called T. distichum var. nutans and var. imbricarium. 





 
OTHER CYPRESSES:
 
 
 


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